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OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


BLOOD  and  IRON 

Origin  of  German  Empire 
As  Revealed  by  Character 
of  Its  Founder,  Bismarck 


THE    SHAKESPEARE    PRESS 

114-116    E.    28th    St. 

New    York 


Copyright,    1916,    John    Hubert    Oreutel 


Dedicated  to 

Stella 
My  Wife 


2128914 


CONTENTS 

BOOK  THE  FIRST:     BISMARCK'S  HUMAN  ESSENCE 

Chapter  I— The  Man  Himself 

1.  The  Giant's  Ponderous  Hammer 

2.  Grossly  Human  Is  Our  Bismarck 

3.  Despite  Political  Bogs 

4.  Genius  Combined  with  Foibles 

Chapter  II— Blood  Will  Tell 

5.  Iron-headed  Ancestry 

6.  Animal  Basis  of  Rise  to  Power 

7.  "The  Wooden  Donkey  Dies  To-day!" 

Chapter  III— The  Gothic  Cradle 

8.  The  Child  of  Destiny 

9.  Soft  Carl,  Spartan  Louise 

Chapter  IV — Sunshine  and  Shadow 

10.  Amazing  Powers  of  Hereditary  Traits 

11.  The  Wolf's  Breed 

12.  Twenty-eight  Duels! 

13.  Fizzle  of  First  Official  Service 

BOOK  THE  SECOND:  THE  GERMAN  NATIONAL  PROB- 
LEM 

Chapter  V— The  Great  Sorrow 

14.  The  German  Crazy  Quilt 

15.  The  Diamond  Necklace 

Chapter  VI — Prussia's  De  Profundis 

16.  The  Lash  and  the  Kiss 

17.  The  Prussian  Downfall 

18.  Prussia  Becomes  Germany 

19.  Kingcraft  Comes  Upon  Evil  Days 

20.  The  Star  of  Hope 

21.  The  King  Keeps  Reading  His  Bible 

22.  The  Deluge 

BOOK  THE  THIRD:     BISMARCK  SUPPORTS  HIS  KING 

Chapter  VII — Fighting  Fire  with  Fire 

23.  Voice  in  the  Wilderness 

24.  The  Young  Giant 

25.  Speechless  for  One  Whole  Month 

26.  Bellowing  His  Defiance 

(5) 


Chapter  VIII — Bismarck  Suffers  a  Great  Shock 

27.  Bismarck  Scorns  French  Political   Millennium 

28.  Militarism  as  National  Salvation 

29.  King  Marches  with  Mob! 

Chapter  IX — So  Much  the  Worse  for  Zeitgeist 

30.  Not  Politics — Human  Nature 

31.  Setting  Back  the  Century  Clock 

32.  The  Master  at  Work 

33.  Bismarck  Nudges  His  King 

34.  Mystical  High-flown  Speeches 

BOOK  THE  FOURTH:     BLOOD  IS  THICKER  THAN 

WATER 
Chapter  X — Socrates  in  Politics 

35.  The  Frankfort  School  of  Intrigue 

36.  Preparing  for  German  Unity 

37.  Tyrants  Are  Necessary 

38.  Bismarck,  in  Naked  Realism 

Chapter  XI— The  Mailed  Fist 

39.  Democracy  Stems  from  Aristocracy 

40.  Parallel  Elements  of  Power 

Chapter  XII — By  Blood  and  Iron  I 

41.  The  Man  of  the  Hour 

42.  Rough  and  Tumble 

43.  On  Comes  the  Storm 

44.  Bismarck  Decides  to  Rule  Alone 

Chapter  XIII— The  Dream  of  Empire 

45.  Bismarck  Tricks  Them  All 

46.  Prussian  Domination  Essential 

47.  By  Faith  Ye  Shall  Conquer 

48.  Was  Bismarck  a  Beast  ? 

BOOK  THE  FIFTH:    THE  GERMAN  PEOPLE  ARE  ONE 
AND  UNITED 

Chapter  XIV — Windrows  of  Corpses 

49.  Devil  or  Saint,  Which  ? 

50.  Sleeping  Beside  the  Dead 

51.  The  Rejected  Stone 

52.  His  Ikon? 

53.  "The  Dying  Warrior" 

54.  Sadowa  Summed  Up 

55.  Manure 


(6) 


Chapter  XV— The  Great  Year,  1870 

56.  "These  Poor  Times" 

57.  The  Bugle  Blast 

58.  Bismarck's  Ironical  Revenge 

59.  The  Weaver's  Hut 

60.  Zenith! 

Chapter  XVI — The  Versailles  Masterpiece 

61.  The  Kaiser's  Crown 

62.  Divine-right,  a  Politico-Military  Fact 

BOOK  THE  SIXTH:  ONCE  A  MAN  AND  TWICE  A  CHILD 

Chapter  XVII— The  Downfall 

63.  Bismarck's  Secret  Discontent 

64.  "Who  Made  United  Germany?" 

65.  The  Irony  of  Fate 

66.  Last  Illusion  Dispelled 

67.  Binding  Up  the  Old  Man's  Wounds 

68.  Awaiting  the  Call 

69.  Refuses  to  Pass  Under  the  Yoke 

70.  Glory  Turns  to  Ashes 

Chapter  XVIII— Hail  and  Farewell 

71.  His  Final  and  Most  Glorious  Decoration 

72.  "As  One  Asleep" 


(7) 


BOOK  THE  FIRST 
Bismarck's  Human  Essence 

CHAPTER  I 


i 

Hark,  Hark!  The  giant's  ponderous  hammer  rings 
on  the  anvil  of  destiny.  Enter,  thou  massive  figure, 
Bismarck,  and  in  deadly  earnest  take  thy  place 
before  Time's  forge. 

flit  is,  it  must  be,  a  large  story  —  big  with  destiny!    The  de- 

tails often  bore  with  their  monotony;  they  do  not  at  all  times 

march  on;  they  drag,  but  they  do  indeed  never  halt  perman- 

ently; ahead  always  is  the  great  German  glory. 

fi  Forward  march,  under  Prince  Bismarck.     He  is  our  grim 

blacksmith,   looming   through   the   encircling   dark,   massive 

figure  before  Time's  forge. 

The  sparks  fly,  the  air  rings  with  the  rain  of  blows:  he  is  in 

deadly  earnest,  this  half  -naked,  brawny  Prussian  giant;  mag- 

nificent in  his  Olympian  mien;  his  bellows  cracking,  his  shop 

aglow  with  cheery-colored  sparks  as  the  heavy  hammer  falls 

on  the  unshapen  ores  on  the  big  black  anvil. 

Tf  Thus,  toiling  hour  after  hour  in  the  heat  and  sweat,  our 

Pomeranian  smith  with  ponderous  hammer  beats  and  batters 

the  stubborn  German  iron  into  a  noble  plan  —  for  a  great 

Nation! 

S     IS     11 

ft  From  a  human  point,  we  do  not  always  see  the  ultimate 
glory. 

For  that  is  obscured  by  dark  clouds  of  party  strife,  extend- 
ing over  years,  the  caprices  of  men  and  the  interplay  of  am- 
bitions both  within  and  without  the  distracted  German  lands. 
Russia,  Austria,  Italy,  Great  Britain,  France,  Spain,  have 
their  spies  engaged  in  all  the  under-play  of  political  intrigue; 


io  Blood   and    Iron 

there  are  a  thousand  enemies  at  home  and  abroad,  in  camp, 
court  and  peasant's  cottage. 

ff  And  at  times,  weary  of  it  all,  we  throw  down  the  book  con- 
vinced that,  in  a  welter  of  sordid  ends,  the  cause  is  lost  in 
shame. 

But,  somehow,  some  way,  Germany  does  in  truth  ultimately 
emerge  triumphant,  in  spite  of  her  amazing  errors  and  the 
endless  plots  of  enemies. 

She  does  indeed  justify  her  manhood — and  thus  the  Bismarck 
story  is  of  imperishable  glory. 

•    •    • 

If  We  say  that  Bismarck  had  to  re-inspire  the  Germans  to  be 
a  fighting  nation. 

What  we  mean  is  that  the  spirit  of  the  ancient  Teutons  had 
to  be  aroused;  for  though  it  slumbered  for  centuries,  it  never 
died. 

Rome  found  that  out  when  she  was  still  in  her  infancy;  the 
Germans  burnt  the  town  by  the  Tiber;  and  the  fearsome 
struggle  between  the  Romans  and  the  Germanic  tribesmen 
lasted  almost  unbroken  for  nearly  five  centuries. 
UThe  Romans  regarded  the  Germans  as  the  bravest  people 
in  the  world. 

The  migrations  of  the  Cimbri  and  Teutones,  and  the  fright- 
ful struggles  in  which  after  superhuman  endeavors  the 
Roman  Marius  destroyed  his  German  enemies  is  one  of  the 
heroic  pages  of  all  history.  It  was  a  hand-to-hand  contest, 
and  torrents  of  human  blood  ran  that  day.  Menzel  tells  us, 
(Germany,  p.  85),  that  the  place  of  battle  enriched  by  a 
deluge  of  blood  and  ultimately  fertilized  by  heaps  of  the 
slain,  became  in  after  years  the  site  of  vineyards  whose 
wines  were  eagerly  sought  by  connoisseurs. 
H  The  Cimbri  were  drawn  up  in  a  solid  square,  each  side  of 
which  measured  7,000  paces.  The  foremost  ranks  were  fas- 
tened together  with  chains,  that  the  enemy  might  not  readily 
break  through.  Even  the  German  dogs  that  guarded  the 
baggage  train  fought  with  animal  ferocity.  The  battle  went 
against  the  Germans  and  the  slaughter  was  frightful.  When 
all  was  lost,  the  Germans  killed  their  women  and  children, 
rather  than  see  them  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Romans. 


Bismarck's   Human    Essence  n 

German  courage  inspired  terror  and  created  foreboding 
throughout  the  Roman  world.  It  is  a  heroic  story  and  sus- 
tains the  German  tradition  that  Germans  born  free  under 
their  ancient  oaks  never  will  be  slaves,  though  the  whole 
world  is  against  them. 

The  success  varied,  but  the  Germans  conquered,  even  in 
death,  becoming  lineal  descendants  of  the  Empire.  And  on 
the  ruins  were  builded  the  German  nation,  as  the  successor 
of  the  old  Holy  Roman  Empire. 

(SHU 

II  We  picture  to  you  these  shadowy  glimpses  of  remote 
battle-scenes  to  show  you  that  Germans  were  ever  fighting 
men,  who  preferred  death  to  loss  of  liberty. 
On  the  ruins  of  Roman  imperial  glory,  Teutonic  conquerors 
founded  an  Empire  that  defied  time  and  chance  for  upwards 
of  1,000  years;  then  there  crept  in  a  peculiar  dry  rot.  The 
ancient  German  oak  died  at  the  top.  Along  came  Napoleon, 
hacking  away  the  limbs  and  scarring  the  gnarled  trunk  with 
fire  and  sword.  The  ruin  seemed  complete.  Dead  at  the 
top,  dead  at  the  root,  men  said.  And  what  men  say  is  true. 
There  is  no  longer  a  Germany,  except  as  a  mere  geographical 
designation;  when  you  speak  of  the  German  Empire  you 
recall  merely  the  echo  of  a  once  mighty  name. 
It  now  becomes  Bismarck's  solemn  duty,  fortified  by  a  noble 
appreciation  of  the  ancient  legend,  to  make  the  German  oak 
green  again  in  its  immortal  youth.  And  he  watered  the 
roots  with  blood. 

U  We  cannot  tell  you  the  great  story  in  a  few  baby-sentences; 
you  must  read  and  grasp  the  broad  spirit  as  it  gradually 
unfolds.  Bismarck  in  the  crudity  of  his  early  inspiration 
scarcely  finds  himself  for  years.  But  all  the  while  he  is  hold- 
ing fast  to  the  idea  that  the  Fatherland  should  under  God 
be  free  and  united,  sustained  by  the  ancient  Teutonic  brother- 
hood in  arms. 

We  present  him  in  part  as  a  tyrant,  a  wild,  intolerant  spirit, 
working  his  own  plans  to  be  sure,  but  those  plans  in  the 
end  are  to  redound  to  the  good  of  the  nation  he  long  and  un- 
selfishly serves. 


12  Blood   and   Iron 

We  ask  you  to  see  him  in  his  weakness  and  we  hope  with 
some  of  his  strength,  always  with  his  high  purpose. 
We  ask  you  to  behold  him  as  a  man  with  all  a  strong  man's 
frailties  and  faults.     We  do  not  spare  him.     We  paint  him 
black,  now  and  then,  deliberately,  that  you  may  know  how 
very  small  ofttimes  are  the  very  great;  also  to  realize  that 
if  we  are  to  wait  for  perfect  human  beings  to  front  our  re- 
forms then  those  reforms  will  never  be  made. 
Bismarck  is  too  great  a  man  to  be  belittled  by  the  glamour 
of  spurious  praise  for  spurious  virtues. 

It  was  not  necessary  for  him  to  cease  to  be  a  human  being 
in  order  to  carry  out  his  work.  He  remained,  to  the  end, 
grossly  human  for  which  the  gods  be  praised. 

•  •    • 
2 

Grossly  human  is  our  Bismarck,  whose  lust  for  con- 
trol is  idiomatic;  let  us  get  this  clearly,  first  of  all. 
V  Did  you  ever  see  a  bulldog  battle  with  one  of  his  kind  ? 
The  startling  fact  is  this:  The  dog  suddenly  develops  mag- 
nificent  reserve  force,  making   his  battling  blood  leap;   is 
transformed  into  a  catapult,  bearing  down  his  adversary  or 
by  him  borne  down — it  matters  not  which! — for  the  joy  of 
battle.    To  fight  is  the  realization  of  his  utmost  being, 
fl  A  peculiar  fact  known  to  all  admirers  of  a  fighting  bull- 
dog is  this:  The  dog  during  the  fight,  looks  now  and  then  at 
his  master  nearby,  as  much  as  to  say,  "See  how  well  I  fight!" 
fl  Thus  Bismarck  looked  at  his  King. 

•  -  •  '• 

11  The  nature  of  the  pit  bulldog  is  seen  in  Bismarck's  head. 
His  surly  face  inspires  a  sense  of  dread.  There  is  that  in 
his  physiognomy  that  shows  his  ugly  disposition,  when 
aroused.  If  you  saw  that  moody  face  in  the  crowd,  one 
glance  would  be  sufficient  to  make  you  feel  how  vituperative, 
short,  sharp,  murderous  the  unknown  man  could  be,  on 
occasion. 

1fYet  the  fear  stirred  by  the  sight  of  a  pit  bulldog  is  oft- 
times  largely  illusionary.  The  dog  at  heart  is  genial  in  a 


Bismarck's   Human    Essence  13 

brute  way,  and  never  a  mpre  loyal  servant  than  the  bulldog 
to  his  friends — devoted  even  to  death,  to  his  master. 
fi  It  is  the  sense  of  dread  in  the  bulldog's  head  that  strikes 
home!  So  with  Bismarck's  physiognomy.  The  Iron  Chancel- 
lor had  but  to  come  into  the  room  to  make  his  onlookers  ex- 
perience uneasiness.  There  was  an  ever-present  suggestion 
of  pent-up  power,  that  could  in  an  instant  be  turned  upon 
men's  lives,  to  their  destruction! 

fl  It  is  true  that  Bismarck  had  his  genial  side,  but  it  cannot 
be  said  that  he  drew  and  held  men  to  him.  He  had  thousands 
of  admirers  to  one  friend.  During  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  he  was  either  hated  or  feared — at  best,  misunderstood. 
Like  the  pit  bulldog,  Bismarck  was  born  to  ^ule  other  lives 
— and  he  fulfilled  his  mission. 

fi  The  element  of  absolutism  in  the  man,  his  uncompromising 
severity,  his  command  of  the  situation  regardless  of  cost, 
sorrow  or  suffering  to  other  men,  is  seen  in  his  realistic 
physiognomy.  We  study  these  facts  more  and  more,  as  we 
go  along. 

•   B   B 

II  There  was  always  something  imperious  about  this  great 
man.  He  brooked  no  interference.  His  excessive  dignity 
compelled  respect.  He  never  allowed  familiarities;  you  could 
not  safely  presume  on  his  good  nature.  He  never  permitted 
you  to  get  too  near.  This  abnormal  self-confidence  conveyed 
the  idea  that  this  giant  in  physique  and  in  intellectual  power 
was  truly  cut  out  for  greatness. 

One  of  his  favorite  pranks,  as  a  boy,  was  to  amuse  himself 
making  faces  at  his  sister;  he  could  frighten  her  by  his 
queer  grimaces. 

From  early  youth,  he  was  accustomed  to  take  himself  very 
seriously,  and  by  his  offensive  manners  conveyed  an  immedi- 
ate impression  of  the  ironical  indifference  in  which  he  held 
humanity,  in  the  mass. 

TT  He  was  a  born  aristocrat,  in  a  sense  of  high,  offensive  par- 
tisanship. 

IT  Men  shrank  from  him,  cursed  him,  reviled  his  name;  but 
they  respected  his  intellect,  even  in  the  early  days  when  he 


14  Blood    and    Iron 

used  his  power  in  an  undisciplined  way;  yes,  was  painfully 
learning  the  business  of  mastering  human  lives, 
fl  The  brute  in  the  man  loomed  large;  the  unreasoning  but 
magnificent  audacity  of  the  bulldog  expressed  itself  in  scars, 
wounds,  deep-drinking  bouts,  fisticuifs,  and  in  twenty-eight 
duels. 

fl  But  he  had  another  kind  of  courage,  greater  in  import  than 
that  expressed  by  physical  combat. 
HSU 

If  When  we  say  Bismarck's  work  is  a  revelation  of  his  will 
to  power,  we  emphasize  again  how  unnecessary  it  is  to  make 
him  either  less  or  more  than  a  human  being.  There  is  a 
school  of  writers  that  never  mentions  his  name  except  with 
upturned  eyes,  as  though  he  were  a  demigod.  The  tendency 
of  human  nature  is  to  idealize  such  as  Bismarck  out  of  all 
semblance  to  the  original,  creating  wax  figures  where  once 
were  men  of  flesh  and  blood. 

IT  Men  rise  to  power  largely  in  uniform  ways;  that  psychic 
foundation  on  which  they  draw  is  always  grossly  human, 
rather  dull  when  you  understand  it,  always  conventional; — 
and  the  great  Bismarck  himself  is  no  exception. 
fi  In  doing  his  work,  Bismarck  is  following  the  psychic  neces- 
sities of  his  character;  is  acting  in  a  very  personal  way,  up- 
held always  by  the  soldier's  virtue,  ambition.  There  is  also 
a  large  element  of  self-love.  His  idiomatic  lust  for  control 
is  to  be  accepted  as  a  root-fact  of  his  peculiar  type  of  being. 
And  while  on  the  whole  his  ambition  is  exercised  for  the 
good  of  his  country,  herein  he  is  acting,  in  addition,  under 
the  ardent  appetite,  in  his  case  a  passion,  to  dominate  mil- 
lions of  lives;  urged  not  perhaps  so  much  from  a  precon- 
ceived desire  to  dominate  as  from  an  inherent  call  to  exer- 
cise his  innate  capacity  for  leadership. 

fl  Making  allowance  for  the  idea  that  Bismarck  is  a  devoted 
servant  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  it  is  not  necessary  to  believe 
that  Bismarck  poses  as  the  Savior  of  his  country.  In  fact,  he 
distinctly  disavows  this  sacrifice,  has  too  much  sense  to  re- 
gard himself  from  this  absurd  point  of  view. 
H  The  words  carved  on  Bismarck's  tomb  at  his  own  request, 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  15 

"A  Faithful  German  Servant  of  Emperor  William  I,"  show 
that  however  much  other  men  were  unable  to  comprehend  the 
baffling  Bismarckian  character,  the  Iron  Chancellor  himself 
had  no  vain  illusions. 

fl  When  he  was  83  and  about  to  die,  the  old  man  taking  a 
final  sweep  of  his  long  and  turbulent  life,  asked  himself  sol- 
emnly: "How  will  I  be  known  in  time  to  come?" 
If  Fame  replied:  "You  have  been  a  great  Prince;  an  invinc- 
ible maker  of  Empire,  you  have  held  in  your  hand  the  globe 
of  this  earth;  call  yourself  what  you  will,  and  I  will  write  a 
sermon  in  brass  on  your  tomb." 

ft  But  the  Iron  Chancellor,  after  mature  reflection,  decided 
that  his  entire  career,  with  all  its  high  lights  and  its  deep 
shadows,  could  be  expressed  in  four  simple  words,  "A  Faith- 
ful German  Servant."  He  knew  exactly  what  he  was,  and 
how  he  would  ultimately  be  represented  in  history. 
U  Think  what  this  means.  On  those  supreme  questions  of 
Life  and  Time  involving  the  interpretation  of  Destiny — a 
problem  hopelessly  obscure  to  the  average  man — Bismarck 
brought  a  massive  mind  charged  with  a  peculiar  clairvoy- 
ance; often,  his  fore-knowledge  seemed  well-nigh  uncanny  in 
its  exact  realism;  and  if  you  doubt  this  assertion,  all  we  ask 
is  that  you  withhold  your  verdict  till  you  have  read  Bis- 
marck's story,  herein  set  forth  in  intimate  detail. 
If  How  clear  the  old  man's  vision  to  discern  behind  all  his 
Bismarckian  pomp  and  majesty,  in  camp,  court  and  combat, 
only  the  role  of  faithful  servant. 

fi  The  phrase  on  his  tomb  proclaims  the  man's  great  mind. 
His  overbrooding  silence,  as  it  were,  is  more  eloquent  than 
sermons  in  brass. 

SHU 

fi  In  studying  Bismarck,  the  man,  we  merge  his  identity  in 
the  events  of  his  time;  but  we  must  sharply  differentiate  be- 
tween the  events  and  the  man.  We  incline  to  the  belief  that 
hereditary  tendencies  explain  him  more  than  does  environ- 
ment. It  is  Bismarck  as  a  human  being,  and  not  the  tre- 
mendous panorama  of  incidents  leading  to  German  sover- 
eignty that  always  holds  our  interest.  Life  is  life,  and  is 
intensely  interesting,  for  its  own  sake. 


1 6  Blood   and    Iron 

Thus,  we  are  at  once  freed  from  a  common  fallacy  of  bio- 
graphical writing — that  vicious  mental  attitude,  as  vain  as  it 
is  egotistical  on  part  of  the  over-partial  historian,  who  would 
warp  some  manifest  destiny  on  human  life. 
11  Bismarck  needs  no  historical  explanation,  no  reference  to 
hackneyed  categories  in  the  card-index  of  Time.  Whether 
his  plan  was  dedicated  to  this  world  or  to  the  glory  of  some 
invisible  God,  you  may  debate  as  you  will,  but  Bismarck  will 
be  neither  greater  nor  less  because  of  flights  of  your 
imagination. 

fl  He  is  a  great  man  in  the  sense  that  he  did  large  things, 
but  this  does  not  make  him  other  than  he  is,  nor  does  his 
story  lose  because  we  know  him  to  be  grossly  human  in  his 
aims.  His  life  does  not  borrow  anything  because  a  certain 
type  of  mind  professes  to  see  behind  Bismarck's  history,  as 
indeed  behind  the  careers  of  all  great  men,  some  mysterious 
purpose  apart  and  beyond  human  nature's  daily  needs.  It 
was  not  necessary  for  Bismarck  to  cease  to  be  a  human 
being,  to  accomplish  what  he  accomplished. 

SI     II     IS 

ffAlso,  for  the  reason  that  Bismarck  was  a  genius,  he  is  an 
exception  to  conventional  rules  covering  the  limitations  of 
little  men. 

ff  Bismarck  was  a  born  revolutionist.  Look  at  his  terrible 
jaw,  which,  like  the  jaws  of  the  bulldog,  when  once  shut  down 
never  lets  go  till  that  object  is  in  shreds. 
fl  He  was  a  true  bulldog  in  this  that,  like  the  thoroughbred 
bulldog,  Bismarck  favored  one  feed  a  day.  He  took  a  light 
breakfast,  no  second  breakfast,  but  at  night  would  eat  one 
enormous  meal. 

The  bulldog  follows  a  similar  practice,  when  eating  never 
looks  from  the  plate,  and  the  water  fairly  runs  from  his  eyes, 
with  animal  satisfaction. 

ff  Bismarck  compelled  men  to  do  his  bidding — as  the  wind 
drives  the  clouds  and  asks  not  when  or  why.  It  is  enough 
to  know  that  that  is  the  wind's  way! 

He  knew  the  coward,  the  thief,  the  soldier,  the  priest,  the 
citizen,  the  king,  and  the  peasant. 


Bismarck's   Human    Essence  17 

He  knew  how  to  betray  an  enemy  with  a  Judas  kiss;  how  to 
smite  him  when  he  was  down;  how  to  dig  pitfalls  for  his 
feet;  how  to  ply  him  with  champagne  and  learn  his  secrets; 
how  to  permit  him  to  win  money  at  cards,  and  then  get  him 
to  sign  papers;  how  to  remember  old  obligations  or  to  forget 
new  favors;  how  to  read  a  document  in  more  than  one  way; 
how  to  turn  historical  parallels  upside  down;  how  to  urge 
today  what  he  refused  to  entertain  a  year  ago;  how  to  put 
the  best  face  on  a  losing  situation;  and  how  to  shuffle,  cut  and 
stack  the  cards,  or  at  times  how  to  play  in  the  open. 
fl  He  was  not  a  humanitarian  with  conceptions  of  world 
peace  or  world  benevolences.  He  was  for  himself  and  his 
own  ends,  which  were  tied  to  his  political  conception  of  a  new 
Germany. 

flAnd  all  the  time  he  was  helped  out  by  his  extraordinary 
vital  powers,  his  ability  to  work  all  night  like  a  horse  week 
after  week;  go  to  bed  at  dawn  and  sleep  till  afternoon;  then 
drive  a  staff  of  secretaries  frantic  with  his  insistent  demands. 
fl  Likewise,  he  was  helped  out  by  his  remarkable  personality. 
Actor  that  he  was,  he  sometimes  gained  his  point  by  his 
frankness,  knowing  that  when  he  told  the  exact  truth  he 
would  not  be  believed. 

H  Also,  he  could  bluff  and  swagger,  or  he  could  speak  in  the 
polite  accents  of  the  distinguished  gentleman;  he  could  gulp 
a  quart  of  champagne  without  taking  the  silver  tankard  from 
his  lips;  in  younger  years  he  used  to  eat  from  four  to  eleven 
eggs  at  a  meal,  besides  vegetables,  cakes,  beer,  game  and 
three  or  four  kinds  of  meats;  his  favorite  drink  was  a  mix- 
ture of  champagne  and  porter. 

s   is   si 

IJHe  was  a  chain-smoker,  lighted  one  cigar  with  another, 
often  smoked  ten  or  twelve  hours  at  a  stretch.  His  huge 
pipes,  in  the  drawing  room;  his  beer,  in  the  salons  of  Berlin; 
his  irritability,  his  bilious  streaks,  his  flashes  of  temper;  his 
superstition  about  the  number  13;  his  strange  mixing  of 
God  with  all  his  despotic  conduct;  his  fondness  for  mastiffs; 
his  attacks  of  jaundice;  his  volcanic  outbursts;  his  belief  in 
ghosts,  in  the  influence  of  the  moon  to  make  the  hair  grow; 


i8  Blood   and   Iron 

his  mystical  something  about  seven  and  combinations  of 
seven;  his  incessant  repetition  of  the  formula  that  he  was, 
obeying  his  God — were  but  human  weaknesses  that  showed 
he  had  a  side  like  an  everyday  common  man. 
fi  On  top  of  it  all  he  was  great,  because  he  knew  how  to  man- 
age men  either  with  or  without  their  consent;  but  he  always 
studied  to  place  himself  in  a  strategic  position  from  which 
he  could  insist  on  his  demand  for  his  pound  of  flesh, 
fi  Sometimes,  it  took  years  before  he  could  lull  to  sleep,  buy, 
bribe  or  win  over  the  men  he  needed;  again  when  the  game 
was  short  and  sharp,  he  kicked  some  men  out  of  his  path  con- 
temptuously, others  he  parleyed  with,  still  others  he  thun- 
dered against  and  defied;  but  always  at  the  right  time,  won 
his  own  way. 

flYes,  even  Bismarck'g  card-playing  is  subordinated  to  the 
shrewd  ends  of  diplomacy.  Dr.  Busch,  the  press-agent  of 
Bismarck  during  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  tells  us  that  Bis- 
marck once  made  this  frank  confession: 

fl  "In  the  summer  of  1865  when  I  concluded  the  Convention 
of  Gastein  with  Blome  (the  Austrian),  I  went  in  for  quinze 
so  madly  that  the  rest  could  not  help  wondering  at  me.  But 
I  knew  what  I  was  about.  Blome  had  heard  that  this  game 
gave  the  best  possible  opportunity  for  discovering  a  man's 
real  nature,  and  wanted  to  try  it  on  with  me.  So  I  thought 
to  myself,  here's  for  you  then,  and  away  went  a  few  hundred 
thalers,  which  I  really  might  have  charged  as  spent  in  His 
Majesty's  service.  But  at  least  I  thus  put  Blome  off  the 
scent,  so  he  thought  me  a  reckless  fellow  and  gave  way." 

S    8    H 

3 

Despite  vast  areas  of  political  bogs,  quaking  under 
foot,  that  one  must  traverse,  our  Otto  is  not  inac- 
cessible! 

U  For  many  years  they  hate  him  like  hell-fire  itself,  this 
Otto  von  Bismarck.  The  Prussians  hate  him,  the  Austrians, 
the  Bavarians,  to  say  nothing  of  the  intervening  rabble;  but 
our  tyrant  is  strong  enough,  in  the  end,  to  win  foreign  wars, 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  19 

and  then  the  haters  veer  about,  almost  in  a  night,  come  up 
on  bended  knees  and  kiss  the  hand  that  smites — that  hand 
of  Bismarck,  at  once  the  best-beloved  and  the  most-hated 
hand  of  his  time.  What  more  pray  do  you  ask  of  human 
nature  ? 

TfNow  here  is  a  strange  reality:  If  you  look  at  the  general 
outlines  of  the  German  map  in  1815,  you  will  see  that  the 
frontiers  trace  in  a  startling  way  the  scowling  outlines  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  "Old  Fritz,"  who  first  dreamed  this  Ger- 
man unity  idea. 

But  mighty  Frederick  is  in  the  royal  tomb  these  many  years; 
and  a  new  Frederick  in  spirit  is  rapidly  learning  the  business 
of  king-maker  and  empire-builder. 

H     M     IS 

U  Behind  the  name  Bismarck  is  a  story  extraordinary,  com- 
pounded of  the  intrigues,  blood  and  passions  of  Austria,  Rus- 
sia, Italy,  France,  Belgium,  Bavaria,  Spain,  and  England. 
Volumes  would  not  suffice  to  give  you  the  bewildering  details; 
mountains  of  diplomatic  letters,  orders,  telegrams,  truths, 
half-truths,  shuffling,  cutting  and  stacking;  you  go  confusedly 
from  palace  to  people,  prince  to  pauper,  university  to  prison 
pen — all  the  way  from  Waterloo  to  Versailles,  where  William 
I  received  at  last  his  great  glory,  German  Emperor. 
fi  Bismarck's  story  is  best  told  in  flashes  of  lightning — as  you 
try  to  picture  a  bolt  from  the  black  skies. 
By  the  patience  of  the  methodical'  historian  who  laboriously 
examines  each  document  in  the  National  archives,  one  fills 
soon  enough  a  ten-volume  account — with  a  swamp  of  cross- 
references,  footnotes  to  each  paragraph,  and  with  notes  to 
the  footnotes. 

fl  Yet  this  Bismarck  is  not  inaccessible  if  we  get  at  his  inner 
side,  grasp  the  man's  essence. 

Strong  arm  and  tireless  brain  Time  asked; — a  man  who  could 
neither  be  bent,  broken  nor  brow-beaten;  a  man  who  would 
for  40  years  follow  a  plan  by  no  means  clear;  often  had  to 
go  out  in  the  dark  and  find  his  way,  all  old  landmarks  lost, 
and  no  pole-star  in  sight. 
HI  dwell  on  one  outstanding  fact,  all  down  through  his 


2O  Blood    and   Iron 

career:  I  mean  Bismarck's  power  to  conceal  pain.  Hurri- 
canes of  insulting  criticisms  swept  around  his  head,  year 
after  year,  but  on  the  whole  Otto's  attitude  was  that  of  the 
mountain  that  defies  the  storm.  He  would  never  give  in 
that,  as  it  seemed  to  onlookers,  a  shaft  of  disagreeable  truth 
had  struck  home;  that  a  soft-nosed  bullet,  well  aimed,  had 
torn  his  flesh  or  broken  a  bone;  or  that  a  dagger-thrust,  go- 
ing directly  through  his  coat  of  the  White  Cuirassier  had 
pierced  his  heart. 

11  Even  in  his  bitter  defeats,  he  had  a  peculiar  idiomatic  way 
of  making  out  that  the  result  was  exactly  what  he  desired. 
It  was  of  course  only  an  adroit  explanation  to  protect  his 
pride;  the  brazen  invention  of  a  nature  that  would  not 
acknowledge  itself  in  error.  Here  is  Bismarck,  to  the  core. 
fi  For  a  long  and  turbulent  life-time  Bismarck's  soul  was 
tried  by  the  very  tortures  of  the  damned! 
B  B  I 

4 

Wherein  it  is  set  forth  that  Otto  von  Bismarck's 
massive  political  genius,  combined  with  his  personal 
foibles,  mark  him  as  a  heroic  figure,  side  by  side 
with  Frederick  the  Great. 

fl  In  attempting  to  depict  a  consistent  Bismarck,  we  find  that 
his  life  has  been  as  much  misinterpreted  through  the  carp- 
ing need  of  envious  political  critics  as  through  'the  bad  art 
of  historically  well-disposed  friends. 

The  perplexing  problem  is  to  blend  his  massive  mental  grasp, 
side  by  side  with  his  strange  fits  of  irritability,  his  turbu- 
lence, his  deep-drinking,  his  gluttony,  his  wild  pranks. 
About  him  at  all  times,  whether  expressed  or  concealed,  there 
floated  an  ironic  derision  of  the  littleness  of  the  average  man, 
whom  at  heart  Bismarck  despised. 

While  the  eyes  of  detractors  are  everywhere,  the  voice  of 
hero-worship  has  likewise  conspired  to  make  an  impossible 
idol  of  a  man  with  very  human  and  ofttimes  crying  frailties; 
the  biographic  truth  is  to  be  found  somewhere  between  these 
two  extremes;  but  even  with  this  clear  clue  in  mind,  it  is 


Bismarck's   Human    Essence  21 

often  difficult  to  reconcile  amazing  personal  and  diplomatic 
inconsistencies  with  which  his  career  abounds. 
If  Then,  too,  there  is  something  that  strikes  like  the  irony 
of  Socrates,  only  bitter  instead  of  light;  and  Bismarck  re- 
veals now  and  then  a  touch  remindful  of  that  Rabelaisian 
hero  whose  enormous  capacity  could  only  be  quenched  by 
draining  the  river  dry.  To  tell  Bismarck's  inner  life-story, 
in  a  large  way,  one  must  often  deal  with  a  series  of  pictures 
akin  to  the  gods  and  devils  in  Dore's  delineations  for  Dante's 
"Inferno." 

It  often  seems  as  though  every  important  act  of  this  great 
man's  life  was  charged  with  the  significance  of  Destiny, 
stands  forth  vividly  against  a  background  of  intrigue,  super- 
stition, personal  follies,  the  smoke  and  flame  of  battle — a 
heroic  figure  side  by  side  with  such  master-spirits  as  Fred- 
erick the  Great. 

Like  Frederick  the  Severe,  this  Bismarck  is  very  human  in- 
deed, and  has  his  crying  weaknesses,  and  his  enemies,  God 
knows,  tried  for  forty  years  to  get  rid  of  him  by  intrigue, 
often  by  assassination;  yet  until  his  great  duty  is  done  he 
must  hold  firmly  to  his  place,  must  do  the  work  which  brings 
him  no  peace,  or  rest,  only  trouble  year  after  year. 

•    •    • 

If  Throughout  the  amazing  story,  no  matter  which  way  we 
travel,  we  always  return  to  a  profound  sense  of  this  giant's 
will  and  his  massive  knowledge  of  human  life,  expressed  in 
his  ability  to  force  the  shrewdest  men  in  Europe  to  do  his 
bidding. 

His  sense  of  power  is  so  supreme  that  sometimes  it  really 
seems  that,  as  Bismarck  himself  often  sets  forth,  his  author- 
ity fell  from  heaven. 

Here,  there  is  a  direct  harking  back  to  the  ancient  days  in 
the  Alt  Mark,  to  the  Circle  of  Stendal  with  its  little  town  of 
Bismarck,  on  the  Biese,  where  stands  the  ancient  masonry 
dating  from  1203,  and  known  as  the  "Bismarck  Louse." 
If  The  strange  legend  of  the  Bismarck  Louse  tells  worlds  of 
the  ancient  Bismarck  power,  in  those  far-off  times,  helps  us 
in  the  year  1915  to  grasp  certain  obscure  phases  of  the  Bis- 
marck racial  strength,  inherited  by  Otto  von  Bismarck. 


22  Blood   and    Iron 

If  This  medieval  Bismarck  Tower  received  its  name  from  a 
gigantic  louse  which  inhabited  this  place,  and  had  to  be  fed 
and  appeased;  therefore,  every  day  the  superstitious  peasants 
of  the  district  brought  huge  quantities  of  meat  and  drink, 
for  the  monster's  food.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  these  visits 
were  encouraged  by  the  Bismarck  lord  of  the  soil,  in  Alt 
Mark; — and  here  you  see  already  the  cunning  in  managing 
human  nature  so  characteristic  of  the  Bismarck  genius. 
\\  The  purely  social  application  of  this  gossip  may,  however, 
be  eyed  with  suspicion,  as  a  French  canard.  It  was  so  easy 
for  "Figaro"  to  libel  the  Bismarck  of  1871,  whereupon  the 
whole  French  press  followed  and  barked  at  the  Iron  Chan- 
cellor's heels. 

He  was  caricatured,  spit  at,  reviled,  depicted  as  the  beast- 
man  in  Europe. 

fi  For  one  thing,  Bismarck  knew  France  was  the  richest  na- 
tion in  Europe,  also  that  she  had  ambition  for  the  left  bank 
of  the  Rhine;  and  to  General  Sheridan,  who  chanced  to  be  at 
Sedan  and  Gravelotte  on  official  business,  Bismarck  said, 
"The  only  way  to  keep  France  from  waging  war  in  the  near 
future  is  to  empty  her  pockets." 

ff  French  newspaper  editors  lashed  themselves  into  insanity 
trying  to  invent  new  names  for  the  man  who  had  brought 
the  downfall  of  the  Empire,  at  Sedan;  the  man  who  at  Ver- 
sailles was  arranging  the  hardest  terms  of  peace  ever  con- 
ceived by  a  diplomatic  Shylock,  bent  on  having  his  pound  of 
flesh. 

fl  Paris  journalists  called  him  "the  incarnation  of  the  evil 
spirit,"  "the  Antichrist,"  "the  shrewd  barbarian,"  "crime- 
stained  ogre,  who  was  always  thrashing  his  wife  with  a  dog- 
whip,"  "he  kept  a  harem,  from  which  no  Berlin  shopkeeper's 
daughter  was  safe;"  "once  he  became  enamored  of  a  nun  and 
hired  ruffians  to  kidnap  her  and  bear  her  away  to  his  castle;" 
"he  is  the  father  of  many  illegitimate  children,  in  Berlin 
some  say  as  many  as  fifty;"  "he  once  lashed  one  of  his  Rus- 
sian mistresses  over  the  bare  shoulders  because  he  suspected 
her  of  looking  at  another  admirer;"  "he  uses  his  confidential 
diplomatic  knowledge  to  add  to  his  huge  private  fortune  by 
gambling  on  every  Bourse  in  Europe." 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  23 

HHow  magnificent — if  it  were  indeed  only  true!  What  a 
relief  that  would  be  over  the  tame  details  of  average  human 
life,  and  what  a  boon  to  biographers  this  grand  wickedness! 
Alas,  the  tales  are  only  important  as  specimens  of  French 
drawing  room  gossip  of  1871! 

If  The  fables  never  bothered  Bismarck  a  moment.  When  he 
was  ready,  he  repaid  them  in  his  own  splendid  coin;  and  cer- 
tainly he  was  past-master  of  the  gentle  art  of  putting  a 
razor-edge  on  an  insult! 

ft  Bismarck  had  his  vituperative  side.  Egged  on  by  his  wife 
and  his  son,  Bismarck  became  at  times  verbally  ferocious. 
His  wife,  a  descendant  of  those  terrible  Frankish  women- 
warriors,  stemming  from  barbarian  times,  could  under  stress 
exercise  a  barbarian's  stark  freedom  of  speech;  and  when 
Bismarck,  furious  at  some  insult,  was  replying  with  a  politi- 
cal cannonade,  she  would  infuriate  him  to  still  greater  exer- 
tions by  suggesting: 
fi  Bismarck,  hiss  a  little!  Hiss  a  little!" 

M    H     10 

fi  And  after  seven  hundred  years,  the  Bismarck  psychology 
behind  the  old  Tower's  superstitious  appeal  remains  substan- 
tially the  same.  We  shall  see  at  times  as  we  sketch  for  you 
the  life  portrait  of  Otto  von  Bismarck  a  mysterious  atavism; 
the  self-same  mental  astuteness  that  stood  his  ancestors  in 
such  good  stead,  enabling  them  to  frighten  the  peasants  into 
providing  the  corn. 
U  Yes,  blood  will  tell — and  the  Bismarck  blood  is  rare  juice! 


24  Blood   and    Iron 

CHAPTER  II 


5 

Battle-born,  Bismarck's  genius  springs  from  the 
very  fire  and  sword  of  human  nature  —  resembling 
definitely  his  iron-headed  barbarian  ancestry,  whose 
freedom  remained  unconquered  through  the  cen- 
turies. 

ff  We  cannot  hope  to  trace  Bismarck  to  any  complete  legal 
basis  —  any  more  than  we  can  defend  the  complete  legitimacy 
of  France,  Belgium,  or  the  United  States,  countries  avowedly 
harking  back  to  revolutionary  origin.  Bismarck's  life,  like- 
wise, presents  unquestioned  elements  of  anarchistic  root.  In- 
herited from  battle-born  Bismarcks  are  forces  peculiar  to 
himself,  free,  and  individualistic,  profoundly  expressive 
wherein  Mother  Nature  summoning  her  ultimate  powers  en- 
dows a  colossal  courage  in  a  colossal  mind  and  body. 
ft  As  far  as  the  Thirteenth  Century,  the  name  Bismarck,  then 
styled  Bishofsmarck  or  Biscopesmarck,  is  associated  with  the 
little  river  Biese;  but  whence  the  original  stock  is  for  anti- 
quarians to  debate. 

Believe  the  Bismarcks  to  be  of  Bohemian,  of  Prankish  or  of 
Jewish  origin,  or  of  Slavic  if  you  will,  you  find  bespectacled, 
scholastic  authorities  who  will  open  the  musty  pages  and 
display  to  you  the  truth. 

U  Herbert  of  Biese  became  in  due  course  Herbert  von  Bis- 
marck. The  "von"  was  unquestionably  a  mark  of  geograph- 
ical origin,  rather  than  a  sign  of  nobility.  The  name  is  borne 
by  other  families  from  Biese;  but  the  important  part  is  not 
the  name  but  the  men  behind  that  name,  what  that  name 
stood  for. 

H  Herbert  von  Bismarck's  name  is  enrolled  in  the  guild  papers 
as  master  of  the  merchant  tailors  of  Stendal,  in  the  old  Mark 
of  Brandenburg;   a  "Mark"  being  somewhat  equivalent  to 
an  English  "shire." 
H  But  this  fact  about  the  tailor-ancestor  must  not  be  pressed 


Bismarck's   Human    Essence  25 

too  far.  Some  antiquarian  of  the  year  2700  A.  D.,  let  us 
say,  might  argue  that  President  Taft  was  a  steam-shoveler, 
because  the  name  is  found  recorded  among  the  laborers  who 
helped  dig  the  Panama  Canal;  whereas,  the  fact  is  that  the 
President  was  enrolled  as  an  honorary  member  of  one  of  the 
labor  unions. 

Also,  after  Waterloo,  when  the  British  nation  was  running 
wild  trying  to  imagine  some  distinction  that  as  yet  had  not 
been  bestowed  on  Wellington,  the  London  tailors  in  a  mo- 
ment of  inspiration  added  the  Iron  Duke's  name  to  the  great 
roll  of  scissor-snippers ! 

IS     11     IS 

If  Beginning  with  Herbort's  son,  four  Bismarcks,  in  three 
generations,  were  social  lepers. 

H     H     IS 

If  Klaus  von  Bismarck  died  about  the  year  1385,  outside  the 
holy  favor  of  the  church — as  his  father  had  died  before  him, 
and  as  did  two  sons,  in  their  turn.  But  Klaus,  ever  shrewd 
in  a  worldly  way,  recommended  himself  as  a  king's  fighting 
man;  led  the  robber  gang  off  with  the  loot  in  the  name  of 
his  merry  monarch,  the  Margrave  of  Bavaria. 
If  For  this  most  excellent  service  as  a  professional  man-killer, 
Klaus  was  rewarded  with  a  knight's  fee  of  forest  land,  at 
Burgstal,  an  estate  that  remained  in  the  family  for  two  hun- 
dred years.  There  were  deer,  wild  boar,  wolves  and  bear  in 
the  Bismarck  forest,  and  one  day  Conrad  of  Hohenzollem 
came  that  way  on  a  royal  hunting  expedition. 
II  Conrad  could  have  stolen  the  Bismarck  petty  title  outright, 
but  while  he  confiscated  Burgstal  forest,  he  offered  Schoen- 
hausen,  on  the  Elbe,  in  exchange.  However,  Schoenhausen 
did  not  compare  with  the  estate  that  the  envious  monarch 
took  by  force.  The  Burgstal  forest  is  to  this  day  one  of  the 
great  game  preserves  of  the  German  Emperor. 
fl  The  Bismarcks  also  received  in  the  exchange  farming  land 
known  as  Crevisse,  lately  confiscated  by  the  Hohenzollerns 
from  the  nuns;  and  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  transfer  to 
the  Bismarcks  was  that  these  nuns  should  be  supported. 


26  Blood    and    Iron 

6 

Strong  animal  basis  of  Bismarck's  rise  to  Power — 
The  story  is  always  the  same,  "Fight,  or  die  like  a 
dog!" 

fl  Thus,  from  time  immemorial,  the  fighting  Bismarcks  wrote 
their  title  to  a  share  of  this  earth  with  the  sword,  which  in 
spite  of  all  Hague  Conferences  remains  the  best  sort  of  title 
man  has  been  able  to  devise. 

As  time  sped  and  what  is  called  Civilization  grew  somewhat, 
men  took  on  chicken-hearted  ways;  and  in  every  pinch  ap- 
pealed to  courts  for  decisions  formerly  decided  by  individual 
brawn;  till  finally,  as  in  these  latter  degenerate  days,  if  a 
fight  becomes  necessary,  society  hires  policemen  to  stop  the 
row. 

fl  Klaus  von  Bismarck  preferred  to  do  his  own  murdering, 
and  consequently,  Klaus  stood  first  in  the  eyes  of  honest  men 
of  his  own  generation;  but  in  this  Twentieth  Century,  instead 
of  putting  incompetents  to  the  test  of  the  sword,  society, 
committed  to  the  soft  doctrine  that  all  life  is  sacred,  burdens 
itself  with  lengthening  the  days  of  the  daft.  A  far  cry  that 
from  the  ideals  of  the  early  Bismarcks!  It  is  well  to  keep 
these  facts  in  mind,  in  contemplating  the  extraordinary  ca- 
reer of  the  great  Otto  von  Bismarck,  king-maker  and  unifier 
of  Germany. 

•  '  •    • 

fl  Modern  timid-hearted  folk,  reading  of  the  desperate  make- 
shifts of  the  old  Bismarcks  to  get  on  in  the  world,  would  say 
off-hand,  "There  must  be  a  strain  of  madness  in  the  Bis- 
marck brain?" 

If  Unquestionably!  This  fighting  family  in  each  generation 
had  its  born  revolutionists,  its  enormous  egotists,  its  men 
who  lived  what  orthodox  opinion  calls  "godless  lives" — al- 
though in  their  own  philosophy  the  Bismarcks  are  always 
preaching  that  God  is  on  their  side.  When  the  Elector  de- 
cided to  steal  Burgstal  forest,  the  Bismarcks  set  up  this  pious 
plea:  "We  wish  to  remain  in  the  pleasant  place  assigned  to 
us  by  the  Almighty."  Four  hundred  years  later  we  find  Otto 
von  Bismarck  using  again  and  again  this  peculiar  reasoning, 


Bismarck's   Human    Essence  27 

to  justify,  at  least  to  explain,  his  own  career:  "If  I  were 
not  a  Christian,  I  would  not  continue  to  serve  the  King 
another  moment.  Did  I  not  obey  my  God  and  count  on  Him, 
I  should  certainly  take  no  account  of  earthly  masters." 
fi  In  three  great  wars  of  ambition  in  which  80,000  perished, 
he  repeated  this  solemn  formula  about  God;  he  repeated  it 
on  the  blood-drenched  field  of  Koeniggraetz;  he  repeated  it 
in  the  Holstein  war,  and  he  repeated  it  again  at  Sedan  and  at 
Gravelotte. 

fl  Bismarck  persisted  in  this  peculiar  conception  of  life,  down 
to  the  last.  While  in  retirement,  after  his  downfall,  one 
day  the  bloody  past  rose  before  him  like  a  dream,  and  he 
exclaimed  to  Dr.  Busch:  "Politics  has  brought  me  vexation, 
anxiety  and  trouble;  made  no  one  happy,  me,  my  family  nor 
anyone  else,  but  many  unhappy.  Had  it  not  been  for  me, 
there  would  have  been  three  great  wars  less;  the  lives  of 
80,000  would  not  have  been  sacrificed;  and  many  parents, 
brothers,  sisters  and  wives  would  not  now  be  mourners.  That, 
however,  I  have  settled  with  my  Maker!"  Now,  once  and  for 
all,  what  we  understand  this  to  mean  is  merely  this:  a  super- 
abundance of  faith.  Many  great  leaders  have  had  it — David, 
Cromwell,  Bismarck. 

•    •    • 

1[  In  seeking  biographic  clues,  through  hereditary  influences, 
we  are  impressed  with  the  astounding  animal-basis  of 
strength  behind  the  Bismarcks,  from  earliest  recorded  his- 
tory. They  were  a  deep-drinking,  prolific  gormandizing  race, 
and  every  mother's  son  had  to  do  battle  by  brawn  backed  by 
the  sword,  or  die  like  a  dog!  This  bred  high  tempers,  tur- 
bulent manners  and  contempt  for  the  weak. 
F  Soldiers,  diplomatists,  brow-beaters,  characterized  the  Bis- 
marck clan  down  through  centuries.  Stormy  and  adventur- 
ous Bismarcks  fought  for  the  sheer  delight  of  doing  battle; 
— it  mattered  not,  whether  against  the  Turks  or  against 
some  near-by  king  whose  lands  the  German  robber-knights 
lusted  for  and  wished  to  annex  by  appeal  to  the  sword. 
fi  There  is  a  story  of  a  garrison  brawl  in  which  a  Bismarck 
slew  his  companion  in  drink,  then  fled  to  Russia,  then  on  to 


28  Blood   and    Iron 

Siberia;  soldier  of  fortune,  he  fights  under  any  flag  that 
promises  a  gay  life  and  plenty  of  loot.  Three  hundred  years 
later — how  the  wheel  turns  round! — Otto  von  Bismarck,  as 
Russian  Ambassador  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  engaged  in  in- 
trigues for  the  same  old  lust  of  land,  the  same  old  nefarious 
business,  but  this  time  sprayed  over  by  the  high-sounding 
name,  diplomacy. 

If  Dr.  Busch,  the  Saxon  press-agent  for  Prince  Bismarck,  re- 
peats the  old  tale  of  the  winning  of  Alsace  by  the  French 
king,  through  the  aid  of  Otto  von  Bismarck's  great-great- 
grandfather, a  mercenary  soldier;  adding  that  while  one  Bis- 
marck helped  take  Alsace  away,  another  of  that  redoubtable 
family  brought  it  back  many  years  later,  with  the  added 
joy  of  the  prodigious  money-fine  of  five  billions  of  francs! 


7 

Boisterous  Col.  Bismarck,  of  the  Dragoons;  "The 
Wooden  Donkey  dies  today!"  French  Cavalier  Bis- 
marck and  his  mushy  prose-poems. 

fi  Burly  strength  and  horse-play,  rather  than  diplomacy,  were 
always  distinctive  traits  of  that  part  of  the  Bismarck  family 
immediately  surrounding  Otto  von  Bismarck;  and  in  Otto's 
case,  although  the  years  gradually  taught  him  that  there 
are  more  ways  of  stopping  a  man's  mouth  than  by  cutting 
off  his  head,  on  the  whole  we  seek  in  vain,  among  ancestral 
Bismarcks,  for  any  striking  characteristics  in  which  the 
point  does  not  turn  either  on  gluttony  or  on  deep-drinking. 
11  They  were  enormous  eaters.  Bread  and  meat  were  not 
enough.  They  must  have  game,  fish,  cake,  wines,  and  plenty 
of  each.  Hunger  put  them  in  a  rage.  They  were  iron  men, 
with  stomachs  of  pigs. 

H  They  were  unbrooked  master  spirits,  followed  the  hounds, 
fought  duels,  had  noisy  tongues,  and  gloried  in  personal  in- 
dependence. 

When  they  loved  they  loved  madly;  when  they  hated  it  was 
the  same.  They  drank  all  night  and  were  out  again  at  dawn. 
flYet  in  their  way,  they  were  high-minded  gentlemen,  de- 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  29 

voted  themselves  industriously  to  their  duties;  and  it  may  be 
that  the  turbulence  of  their  lives  borrowed  something  from 
the  rude  clash  of  opinion  that  often  divided  the  best  friends, 
during  the  stormy  periods  of  history  in  which  they  fought 
as  soldiers  of  fortune. 

fl  Otto  von  Bismarck's  great-grandfather,  Augustus,  call- 
ing his  cronies  of  the  barracks  around  him,  was  wont  to  add 
zest  to  the  carousal  by  introducing  the  trumpet  call  after 
each  toast;  to  heighten  the  infernal  racket,  the  boisterous 
colonel  of  dragoons  ordered  a  volley  fired  in  the  drink-hall. 
U  This  terrible  dragoon,  master  of  the  hounds,  guzzler,  com- 
panion and  leader  in  all  revels,  was  generally  voted  one  of 
the  amiable  men  in  army  circles.  He  was  a  noted  shot.  In 
one  year  of  record  his  score  was  154  red  deer  and  100  stag, 
ft  At  the  Ihna  bridge  was  a  ducking  stool,  for  army  punish- 
ments; it  took  the  amusing  style  of  a  wooden  donkey,  and 
was  so  called  by  the  dragoons  as  a  rude  joke. 
After  one  of  his  hard  drinking  bouts,  it  was  often  the 
colonel's  amusing  habit  to  order  his  men  to  march  to  the 
bridge;  on  arriving  the  band  struck  up  and  the  wooden  don- 
key was  thrown  into  the  stream.  "All  offenders  of  my  regi- 
ment are  forgiven,"  Bismarck  would  bawl,  "the  donkey  dies 
today!" 

Then  with  all  manner  of  opera  bouffe  the  offending  donkey 
would  be  put  overboard — only  to  be  brought  out  next  morn- 
ing, ready  for  official  business. 

19     H     U 

ff  But  our  fun-loving  colonel's  good  times  were  now  over.  As 
commander  of  the  gallant  Anspach-Bayreuth  dragoons,  Au- 
gustus fought  for  Frederick  the  Great  and  was  severely 
wounded  at  Czaslau.  Austrian  hussars  surprised  the  trans- 
port wagons  carrying  the  wounded  to  the  rear,  and  with  bru- 
tality common  to  the  soldier-business  of  that  rude  day  killed 
the  defenseless  Prussians,  among  whom  was  our  Colonel  von 
Bismarck. 

H     IS     H 

IT  Bismarck's  grandfather,  Karl  Alexander,  leaned  toward  tne 
namby-pamby  intellectual  rather  than  to  the  social  and  con- 


3O  Blood   and   Iron 

vivial.  He  is  remembered  for  his  affected  poetical  style. 
Karl,  brave  soldier,  attracted  the  eye  of  no  less  a  judge  of 
valor  than  the  Great  Frederick,  who  appointed  this  Karl 
Alexander  von  Bismarck  an  attache  of  the  Prussian  embassy 
at  Vienna. 

U  Karl,  like  other  Germans  of  the  sentimental  period,  aped 
the  French  poets;  but  when  a  German  is  sentimental,  the 
mush-pots  boil  over.  Karl's  writings  show  that  peculiar  over- 
inflated  quality,  "sentimentality,"  so  much  admired  in  the 
rococo  period. 

HUH 

V.  Karl  William  Ferd.,  Otto's  father,  and  Louise  Wilhelmina, 
Otto's  mother,  born  Mencken,  lived  at  Schoenhausen  in 
troublous  French  times.  Oct.  14th,  1806,  the  terrible  defeat 
at  Jena  put  Prussia  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Fortresses  surrendered  without  firing  a  shot,  and  the  panic- 
stricken  king  fled  to  the  far  eastern  side  of  his  domains,  near 
Russia. 

All  this  took  place  within  three  months  after  the  marriage  of 
Karl  and  Louise,  who  had  now  set  up  housekeeping  at 
Schoenhausen. 

UThe  Bismarcks  tried  to  escape  in  a  coach,  but  the  French 
unexpectedly  appeared  and  ordered  Karl  back  to  the  house. 
The  French  ransacked  every  room;  Louise  fled  to  the  library 
and  locked  the  massive  oak  door;  to  this  day  it  bears  the 
marks  of  French  bayonets;  the  Bismarcks  then  hid  in  the 
forest  where  they  remained  all  night  with  panic-stricken 
neighbors;  at  dawn  Karl  and  Louise  ventured  out,  to  find 
Schoenhausen  a  scene  of  destruction. 

fl  The  one  galling  fact  that  Karl  could  not  overlook,  in  Mar- 
shal Soult's  raid,  was  the  desecration  of  the  genealogical  tree. 
This  huge  painting  with  its  shields  of  the  Bismarck  descent 
was  slashed  from  end  to  end,  with  bayonets! 
fl  Oh,  Otto  von  Bismarck  remembered  this  many,  many  years 
later,  in  making  terms  with  the  French  after  Sedan — do  not 
for  a  moment  forget  that!  Such  is  the  amazing  power  of 
hereditary  loves  and  hates; — and  certainly  the  Bismarcks 
had  no  reason  to  admire  the  French. 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  31 

CHAPTER  III 

Ollf?  Ofotljtr  (EraM? 

8 

Idyl  of  the  child  Otto,  in  his  huge  Gothic  cradle  at 
Schoenhausen;  wonders  that  gather  'round  his  des- 
tiny, a  forecast  and  a  reality. 

U  Otto  Edward  Leopold  von  Bismarck,  the  great  central 
figure  in  our  story,  was  the  fourth  of  six  children,  three  dy- 
ing in  infancy.  He  was  born  April  1,  1815,  but  a  few  months 
before  the  crowning  defeat  at  Waterloo — that  year  big  with 
the  hammer-blows  of  Destiny! 

U  In  lonesome  Schoenhausen  on  the  Elbe,  the  village  lately 
devastated  by  Marshal  Soult  and  his  plundering  soldiers,  the 
infant  Otto  sleeps  peacefully  in  his  oak-carved  Gothic  cradle. 
A  century  later,  we  still  see  that  huge  cradle  as  one  of  the 
souvenirs  in  the  famous  Bismarck  museum  at  Schoenhausen. 
fl  Schoenhausen  house  is  one  of  those  thick-walled  monuments 
of  mediaeval  masonry. 

There  is,  to  be  sure,  something  out  of  drawing  about  the 
antiquated  three-story  house;  and  we  survey  with  respect  for 
the  past  the  queer  courtyard,  leaded  panes,  park  with  the 
artificial  island,  wooded  byways,  and  old  forest,  and  not 
far  away  is  the  village  church  with  the  square  stone  tower; 
hard  by,  also,  the  kattenwinkel,  or  Katte's  corner,  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Havel  and  the  Elbe;  and  on  the  house  is  the 
Katte's  coat-of-arms,  a  cat  watching  a  mouse,  the  mark  of 
the  sturdy  17th  century  builder,  Katte,  who  to  honor  his  wife, 
Dorothea  Sophia  Katte,  added  her  name  to  his  builder's  sign 
over  the  lintel. 

II  In  this  historical  1815,  seed-time  and  harvest  strangely 
blend,  yet  are  years  apart. 

For,  while  the  child  sleeps  in  his  Gothic  cradle,  the  Congress 
of  Vienna  meets  to  redistribute  among  the  hungry  kings  the 
old  domains  stolen  as  prizes  in  the  long  Napoleonic  wars; 
and  in  turn,  after  incredible  political  adventures,  running 
over  years,  the  child  before  us,  grown  to  be  a  man,  will  smash 


32  Blood   and   Iron 

the  rulings  of  Vienna  and  will  build  an  empire  stronger  far 
than  that  of  imperial  France,  now  dying  at  Waterloo. 
Tf  All  these  wonders  gather  'round  the  destiny  of  the  child  in 
the  big  Gothic  cradle,  before  which  we  now  tiptoe  at  Schoen- 
hausen,  lest  we  awaken  the  baby  and  he  cry. 

HUH 

II  When  the  French  overrun  Prussian  territory  the  old  land- 
owning military  aristocracy  was  reduced  to  bankruptcy. 
Mortgages  falling  due  could  not  be  paid;  the  king  extended 
credit  for  four  years;  and  in  the  interim  Prussians  were 
forced  to  use  depreciated  rag-money;  all  the  gold  and  silver 
had  been  confiscated  by  the  French  invaders. 
fi  Great  dissatisfaction  followed.  The  farms  had  been  tilled 
by  feudal-laborers,  practically  slaves;  these  oppressed  peas- 
ants now  flew  to  arms. 

Schoenhausen  was  a  dreary  place  indeed;  while  the  Bismarcks 
were  better  off  than  their  neighbors,  still  the  times  were  out 
of  joint  and  ruin  fell  over  the  broad  acres. 
fl  Then  came  an  unexpected  change.  Along  about  1816,  Karl 
inherited  Kneiphof,  Kuelz  and  Jarchelin  estates  from  his 
cousin,  moved  to  Kneiphof,  just  east  of  the  hamlet  of 
Naugard. 

The  house  was  exceeding  modest;  a  brook,  the  Zampel,  ran 
near  by;  and  there  was  a  carp  pond.  Karl  was  fond  of 
hunting  in  the  old  beech  forest.  Such  were  the  unsettled  con- 
ditions in  the  Bismarck  family,  up  to  Otto's  sixth  year. 


9 

Soft-hearted  Karl  and  Spartan  Mother  Louise;  her 
rigid  character,  its  good  and  its  bad  side;  her  ex- 
treme punctilio  and  her  pistol-shooting,  to  steady 
her  sight. 

JI  Otto  von  Bismarck  inherited  his  tall  form  from  his  father, 
Karl  William.  This  unusual  type  of  cavalry  captain  sub- 
scribed for  French  journals  and  ate  off  silver  plate.  Karl's 
regiment  was  known  as  the  "White  and  Blue,"  and  one  of 
his  duties  was  to  get  up  at  4  in  the  morning  and  measure 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  33 

corn  for  horses.  At  one  time  the  captain  lived  in  Berlin,  but 
he  soon  tired  of  the  capital  and  gladly  returned  to  the  coun- 
try where  he  passed  his  days  as  squire.  To  the  end  of  his 
life,  he  was  fond  of  horseback  riding  and  hunting;  and  he 
brought  his  sons  up  to  ride  like  centaurs. 
fl  Bismarck's  mother,  Louise  Wilhelmina  Mencken,  married  at 
the  age  of  sixteen;  her  husband  Karl  was  nineteen  years  her 
senior. 

JI  In  the  family  circle,  the  father  was  known  as  the  heart, 
the  mother  as  the  brains;  but  in  Louise's  case  it  might  well 
read  "ambition."  She  wished  to  see  Otto  von  Bismarck,  her 
youngest  son,  become  a  diplomatist — a  judgment  that  in  the 
light  of  after  years  seems  almost  uncanny. 
Later,  at  the  full  tide  of  the  Chancellor's  great  glory,  fre- 
quently his  earliest  friends  used  to  say,  "Bismarck,  had  your 
mother  only  survived  to  see  this  day!" 

H     M     11 

TI  The  wife's  leading  trait  was  her  inflexible  resolution,  the 
will  to  rulership; — and  rule  she  certainly  did,  always. 
For  one  thing,  she  steadied  her  nerves  and  schooled  her  sharp 
eyes  by  practising  pistol  shooting. 

There  was  Spartan  courage  about  her  decisions!  Frau  Bis- 
marck's irritability  had  been  growing  of  late;  Karl  was  too 
soft  with  Otto.  She  was  angered  to  think  that  her  husband 
might  spoil  Otto,  by  too  much  coddling.  The  domestic  climax 
came. 

U  That  day  at  table,  Otto  with  childish  impatience,  began 
swinging  his  legs  like  a  pendulum.  The  good-natured  Karl 
hadn't  it  in  his  heart  to  correct  the  child,  but  instead  began 
making  excuses  for  Otto's  conduct.  This  aroused  Louise's 
ire.  To  smooth  matters  Karl  said,  "See,  Minchen,  how  the 
boy  is  sitting  there  dangling  his  little  legs!" 
U  Louise  then  and  there  read  her  ultimatum.  She  would  not 
have  her  son  spoiled  by  the  foolishness  of  his  soft  father — 
not  at  all!  She  would  send  her  beloved  son  away,  first.  At 
the  time,  Otto  was  only  six  years  old. 

And  she  thereupon  proceeded  to  keep  her  decision —  acting 
with  all  the  aggressiveness  for  which  in  later  life  Otto  von 
Bismarck  was  himself  celebrated. 


34  Blood   and   Iron 

CHAPTER  IV 


10 

Wherein  is  shown  the  amazing  power  of  hereditary 
traits;  history  repeats  itself. 

II  It  was  from  his  mother  that  Prince  Bismarck,  the  future 
ruler  of  Germany,  received  his  endowment  of  dauntless  au- 
dacity, his  gift  of  trenchant  argument,  his  bursts  of  ironical 
laughter,  his  power  of  instant  decisions,  his  scolding,  and  his 
bitter  wrath.  All  these  qualities  shone  in  the  parliamentary 
fight  before  the  Austrian  war,  when  for  three  years  he  de- 
fied the  country,  and  raised  the  Prussian  war-funds  by  ex- 
tortion! 

II  In  one  sense,  he  was  always  stacking  the  cards  !  And  what 
chance  has  the  fellow-player  against  the  dealer  with  the 
marked  deck?  Bismarck's  life  abounds  with  episodes  show- 
ing this  astonishing  readiness.  In  love,  in  laughter  and  in 
intrigue,  it  was  ever  the  same.  Bismarck's  use  of  human  na- 
ture, constructively,  at  the  precise  psychological  moment,  re- 
dounding to  his  self-interest,  is  supreme. 


Tf  At  the  wedding  of  his  friend  Blankenburg  to  Fraulein 
Thadden-Triglaff,  the  bridesmaid  was  Fraulein  Johanna  von 
Puttkammer.  Bismarck  saw,  admired  and  decided.  Soon 
after  in  a  Hartz  journey,  with  the  Blankenburgs,  Otto  had  a 
brief  opportunity  to  favor  energetic  measures.  He  wasted 
no  time,  Johanna  must  become  his  wife!  He  wrote  direct  to 
the  young  lady's  parents,  with  whom  he  was  not  acquainted. 
A  flying  visit  followed  to  the  home  of  his  intended  father-in- 
law.  The  Puttkammers  were  surprised  at  the  suitor's  im- 
petuous love-making,  also  were  shocked  by  the  reputation 
Bismarck  had  for  fast  living. 

The  moment  he  saw  parents  and  daughter  he  forced  the 
situation.  Throwing  his  arms  around  his  sweetheart,  Bis- 
marck embraced  her,  vigorously.  And  thus  he  won  his 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  35 

bride  even  before  an  unwilling  father  and  mother;  for  Bis- 
marck carried  them  off  their  feet  by  the  very  audacity  of  his 
wooing. 

HUH 

If  During  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  coming  to  the  Eothschild 
chateau,  Bismarck  found  17,000  bottles  of  wines  in  the  cellar, 
under  lock  and  key;  and  the  keeper  was  determined  that  Bis- 
marck should  not  use  the  master's  champagnes. 
It  took  Bismarck  only  a  few  minutes  to  change  all  that. 
Soon  he  was  comfortably  settled  in  the  Baron's  private  cham- 
bers, reached  by  a  grand  winding  staircase;  here  the  Chan- 
cellor proceeded  to  make  himself  at  home  in  dressing  gown 
and  slippers. 

U  He  rang  for  the  butler,  ordered  wine  for  himself  and  suite. 
The  keeper  of  the  cellar  still  refused — and  Bismarck's  black 
ire  rose.  In  a  voice  of  thunder  he  cried,  "If  you  do  not  open 
that  cellar  door  by  the  time  I  count  five,  you  will  be  trussed 
on  a  spit,  like  a  fowl!" 

Tf  After  that,  the  Prussians  had  what  they  wanted,  made 
merry  on  the  rare  wines  of  Baron  Rothschild,  who  was  known 
as  a  hater  of  Prussia  and  an  admirer  of  Austria. 
TT  Bismarck  now  decided  to  try  various  gastronomic  oddities ; 
ordered  his  staff  to  shoot  pheasants  from  the  Baron's  pre- 
serves, and  commanded  the  cook  to  stew  the  birds  in 
champagne! 

HUH 

fl  When  Napoleon  wrote  his  famous  note,  at  Sedan,  "Not  hav- 
ing been  able  to  die  in  the  midst  of  my  troops,  there  is 
nothing  left  for  me  but  to  place  my  troops  in  your  Majesty's 
hands,"  Bismarck  saw  the  human  nature  side  at  a  glance! 
He  urged  peace,  then  and  there,  with  the  Prince  Imperial  on 
the  throne,  and  "under  German  influence,"  which  would  thus 
give  to  Prussia  the  whip  hand.  General  Sheridan  tells  the 
story. 

It  was  an  instantaneous  look  into  the  far  future,  and  although 
it  did  not  prevail,  for  certain  important  reasons,  the  Chan- 
cellor caught  the  human  side  of  the  combination,  with  the 
clarity  of  a  dramatist  constructing  a  plot. 


36  Blood   and   Iron 

U  On  his  mother's  side,  Otto  von  Bismarck  comes  of  hunting, 
fighting  and  farming  stock. 

Shrewd,  wise,  ambitious,  and  haughty — with  these  traits  she 
richly  endowed  her  son.  His  father  was  handsome,  bright, 
solid,  emphatic-looking,  but  with  a  yielding  disposition;  the 
iron  will  and  sharp  tongue  of  the  wife  overawed  the  husband. 
The  shrewish  frau  had  things  largely  her  own  way,  was  able 
to  read  a  lecture  like  the  wrath  of  God.  However,  on  the 
whole,  the  couple  got  along  passably  well — for  Karl  never 
took  Louise  too  seriously!  When  Frau  Louise's  efforts  to 
make  a  lackey  of  him  got  on  his  nerves,  Karl  called  his 
cronies  and  away  they  went  fox-hunting. 


11 

At  the  tender  age  of  six,  already  is  Otto  forced  out 
of  the  family  circle;  the  wolf's  breed  shows  its  teeth. 
fi  Well,  the  incensed  Louise,  weary  of  the  softness  of  Karl, 
and  fearing  lest  Karl  would  spoil  Otto  by  too  much  petting, 
packed  the  child  off  to  Plamann  Institute,  Berlin,  a  school  of 
the  S  queers  type. 

Otto  remained  in  this  Spartan  school-prison  for  nearly  six 
years,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life  carried  unpleasant  memories. 
Plamann  Institute  idea  was  to  harden  lads,  but  instead  of 
hardening  the  practices  there  embittered. 
II  The  half -starved  boys  were  up  at  6;  breakfast  of  bread  and 
milk;  religious  exercises  at  7;  at  10,  luncheon  of  bread  and 
salt;  then,  a  run  in  the  garden;  at  noon,  dinner  from  the 
hands  of  Frau  Plamann;  and  if  a  lad  wanted  a  second  plate, 
and  couldn't  eat  it  all,  he  was  punished  by  being  sent  to  the 
garden,  there  to  remain  till  he  had  gulped  down  the  last 
morsel,  even  though  he  fairly  choked;  at  teatime,  bread  and 
salt,  or  warm  beer  and  slices  of  bread;  all  day,  studies  of  in- 
terminable length  and  dullness; — but,  best  of  all,  fencing 
exercises  wound  up  the  day. 

fl  In  the  school  yard  was  a  lone  lime-tree,  and  here  the  boys 
came  running  as  a  goal  for  their  sports.  Using  this  lime- 
tree  as  a  pulpit,  Otto  used  to  read  to  his  companions  chapters 
from  Becker's  stories  about  giants. 


Bismarck's   Human    Essence  37 

U  There  was  a  pond  near  Schoenberg  where  the  pupils  used 
to  go  bathing.  Otto's  chum  was  Ernest  Kriger. 
fi  After  six  years  of  this  life  on  salt  and  potatoes,  Otto  was 
transferred  to  Dr.  Bonnell's  Frdk-Wm.  Gymnasium,  Berlin, 
and  in  another  year  to  Grey  Friars'  Gymnasium.  Soon  after 
Dr.  Schleiermacher  confirmed  Otto,  at  Trinity  Protestant 
church. 

In  the  light  of  subsequent  history,  it  is  significant,  almost  un- 
canny, to  recall  the  life-text  offered  to  Otto  at  this  solemn 
moment  by  his  pastor:  "And  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily, 
as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  men."  Many  years  later — just 
before  his  death — Bismarck  ordered  the  motto  to  be  carved 
on  his  tomb;  all  his  life  he  had  followed  the  text. 
H  The  lad  was  two  years  at  Grey  Friars'  school.  While  there 
Otto's  deep-seated  hatred  of  the  French  is  again  visible  for  a 
decisive  moment. 

In  1806  Marshal  Soult  had  slashed  the  genealogical  tree  of 
the  Bismarck  family;  and  young  Otto,  who  often  heard  the 
story,  grew  up  with  the  idea  that  the  French  were  ogres. 
The  school  schedule,  among  other  studies,  called  for  French, 
or  English  as  an  optional  selection;  although  all  Otto's  chums 
decided  for  French,  the  lad  flatly  refused  to  follow  and  in- 
stead stood  almost  alone  in  the  English  class. 
V  He  is  no  longer  a  child  when  he  says  good-bye  to  Grey 
Friars;  he  is  a  young  man  of  17 — and  life  is  opening  before 
him. 

Life!     The  joyous  care-free  life  of  youth  and  inexperience; 
with  the  world  and  its  cares  still  seemingly  far  away! 


12 

At  Goettingen,  he  joined  the  Hannovera  Corps  and 
his  record  is  twenty-eight  duels;  his  face  bore  many 
scars,  among  them  a  long  cut  from  left  jaw  to 
corner  of  his  mouth. 

fl  Otto's  mother,  who  had  strong  social  aspirations  and  held 
to  the  rigid  exclusiveness  of  the  upper  classes,  wished  to  send 
her  son  to  an  aristocratic  university.  So  she  selected  Goet- 


38  Blood   and   Iron 

tingen.  Her  ideas  were  to  make  her  son  a  man  of  dignity 
and  solid  social  qualities. 

Alas,  he  became  but  an  indifferent  student,  excelling  prin- 
cipally in  dueling,  beer-bouts  in  college  taverns,  dog-fighting, 
flirting,  and  general  deviltries  unnumbered,  for  which  he 
spent  considerable  time  in  the  college  dungeon.  Listen  to 
this: 

ff  Many  years  ago,  in  his  roaring  student  days,  long  before 
Otto  von  Bismarck  was  famous,  he  received  an  invitation  to 
a  ball,  and  went  to  the  shoemaker  to  be  measured  for  high- 
topped  military  boots,  affected  by  the  beaux  of  that  day. 
Calling  some  days  later,  he  was  told  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  get  them  finished  in  time;  and  he  would  therefore 
have  to  wear  his  old  boots  to  the  ball. 

If  Bismarck  scowled  and  going  back  to  his  rooms,  whistled  for 
his  two  ferocious  dogs  with  which  he  was  wont  to  trail 
around  town;  returning  to  the  cobbler's  the  daring  rascal  said 
in  a  loud  voice:  "Mister  bootmaker,  at  a  signal  from  me  the 
dogs  will  tear  you  to  pieces!  I  am  here  to  tell  you,  in  the 
most  friendly  way  in  the  world,  that  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  have  my  boots  on  time." 

fl  Bismarck  then  went  away,  but  he  hired  a  man  to  parade 
up  and  down  in  the  vicinity  of  the  shop  with  the  two  mas- 
tiffs; and  now  and  then  this  man  dropped  in,  and  in  a  voice 
of  sorrow,  said  to  the  cobbler:  "My  master  has  a  terrible 
temper  and  I  am  sorry  for  you."  At  that,  the  shoemaker 
told  his  wife:  "Frau,  I  am  going  to  work  all  night,  to  get 
Herr  Bismarck's  boots  finished  in  time  for  that  ball!" 
fi  It  is  needless  to  add  that  young  Bismarck  had  his  boots  on 
time. 

•    ft-   • 

U  In  discussing  Bismarck's  life  and  personality  many  writers 
will  tell  you  that  the  man  is  inconsistency  itself;  advocating 
now  what  in  a  year  he  will  recant;  that  for  this  and  other 
reasons  it  is  baffling  to  try  to  make  a  picture  many-sided 
enough  to  portray  adequately  his  complex  life. 
11  On  the  contrary,  Bismarck,  once  you  get  the  biographic 
clue,  is  as  open,  free  and  direct  as  the  light  of  the  noonday 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  39 

sun.  And  the  story  of  the  poor  cobbler  and  the  boots  is  all 
there  is  to  it! 

Repeat  this  story  in  a  hundred  and  one  forms,  and  the  same 
man  is  always  behind. 

fl  Among  his  cronies,  he  early  gained  the  name  "The  Mad 
Bismarck."  At  Goettingen  university,  Otto  fought  28  duels 
and  his  face  bore  his  fighting  scars. 

II  To  scare  the  girls  and  to  make  them  shriek  and  lift  their 
skirts,  a  sight  that  the  rascal  Otto  enjoyed,  one  night  at  a 
dance  he  let  loose  a  small  fox  in  the  ball  room!  And  he  had 
ridden  like  the  devil,  some  30-odd  miles  to  be  at  this  dance. 
UAs  for  drinking,  no  man  could  put  him  under  the  table. 
Later  in  life,  he  invented  his  own  special  draught,  a  com- 
bination of  champagne  and  porter;  ordinary  men  dropped 
under  the  deadly  compound  as  from  a  dose  of  cyanide  of 
potassium,  but  Otto  could  drain  his  quart  without  taking 
the  tankard  from  his  lips.  He  soon  had  all  the  company 
under  the  chairs,  like  dead  soldiers. 

fi  Often,  at  country  houses,  he  fired  pistols  to  awaken  guests 
in  the  morning. 

fi  His  groom  fell  into  the  canal,  the  young  giant  Bis- 
marck leaped  in  and  dragged  the  drowning  man  to  safety; 
for  this  heroic  deed,  Bismarck  won  his  first  medal. 

HUH 

^Bismarck's  student  life  was  tempestuous.  He  was  indeed 
full  of  the  very  devil. 

His  every-day  get-up  comprised  top  boots,  long  hair  flowing 
over  the  collar  of  his  velveteen  jacket;  a  big  brass  ring  on 
the  first  finger  of  his  left  hand;  two  fierce  mastiffs  trotted 
sullenly  at  his  side.  He  trailed  around,  smoking  a  long  pipe. 
flThe  young  man's  high  animal  spirits  broke  all  restraints; 
he  smoked,  he  drank,  he  sang,  he  flirted,  and  he  fought;  but 
as  for  books,  he  did  as  little  studying  as  he  could. 
He  was  sent  many  times  to  the  university  "career"  or  prison; 
an  interesting  souvenir  is  still  to  be  seen  at  Goettingen,  the 
student-prison  door,  on  which  Bismarck  carved  his  name  in 
1832,  when  he  was  "doing"  ten  days  for  acting  as  second  in 
a  pistol  duel. 


4O  Blood   and   Iron 

fiWith  a  Mecklenburg  student,  Otto's  great  chum,  a  trip 
was  made  through  the  Hartz  mountains,  and  on  returning 
a  wine  dinner  was  offered  to  other  students. 
All  the  fellows  drank  too  much  brandy.  Bismarck  made  an 
inflammatory  speech,  at  table,  ending  by  showing  his  de- 
rision of  scholasticism  by  hurling  ink  bottles  out  of  the  win- 
dow. For  this  breach  of  the  rules,  he  was  hauled  before  the 
university  court.  Here,  he  appeared  in  outlandish  get-up, 
jack  boots,  tall  hat,  long  pipe,  dressing  gown — and  coolly 
asked  the  proctor  what  'twas  all  about.  Bismarck's  huge 
dogs,  with  which  he  was  always  accompanied,  frightened  the 
proctor  half  to  death!  Bismarck  was  promptly  fined  five 
thalers  for  his  absurdities;  he  paid  the  fine  and  began  study- 
ing up  more  deviltry. 

Tl  Joining  the  Hannovera  Corps  of  fighting  men,  Otto  was 
soon  known  as  "Achilles,"  leading  the  fellows  in  all  sword- 
play.  He  fought  duel  after  duel,  and  finally  under  the  in- 
fluence of  Morley,  an  American  student,  decided  to  switch 
over  from  the  Hannovera  to  the  Brunswick  corps — whereon 
every  Jack  in  the  Hannovera  sent  Otto  a  challenge. 

•  •    • 

fi  On  a  trip  to  Jena,  the  fellows  decided  on  a  riot,  and  were 
deep  in  their  cups  when  the  Goettingen  proctor  arrived  to 
bring  the  runaway  Bismarck  back,  and  put  him  in  the  "car- 
eer" till  he  cooled  off.  The  Jena  fellows  carried  on  at  a 
great  rate  to  think  that  the  beloved  "Achilles"  had  to  leave 
so  unceremoniously,  but  at  the  last  moment  hitched  up  six 
horses  and  paraded  Bismarck  around  town,  as  a  demonstra- 
tive fare  thee  well! 

•  •    • 

fl  The  scene  of  many  of  his  drinking  bouts  was  "Crown" 
tavern,  an  ancient  Goettingen  resort,  where  the  fellows  sat  on 
wooden  benches  in  front  of  a  long  bar  and  drank  till  they 
felt  like  fighting  cocks.  By  the  way,  it  is  a  bit  strange  that 
Otto  had  such  amazing  capacity;  for  he  was  as  thin  as  a 
knitting  needle. 

Among  the  men  Bismarck  met  at  this  bar  was  Albrecht  von 
Roon,  who  many  years  later  was  to  become  the  great  Prus- 
sian military  drill-master. 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  41 

fi  Bismarck  finally  left  Goettingen  in  August,  '33;  his  last 
duel  was  with  an  Englishman  who  had  made  fun  of  the 
German  peasant,  describing  that  worthy  as  "a  dunce  in  a 
night  cap,  whose  night-dress  is  made  of  39  rags."  The  39 
rags  was  an  allusion  to  the  39  petty  German  states.  Bis- 
marck was  already  becoming  imbued  with  the  "national  Ger- 
man faith,"  as  it  was  called,  and  could  not  let  the  insult 
go  by. 

U  As  a  rule,  Bismarck  was  lucky  in  his  sword  play.  The  big- 
gest slash  he  received  was  made  by  Biedenweg,  whose  sword 
broke  and  cut  Otto  from  jaw  to  lip,  on  the  left  cheek — a  scar 
that  Bismarck  carried  to  his  grave. 

fl  Giesseler,  the  proctor,  gave  Bismarck  a  very  doubtful  letter 
of  recommendation;  the  duelist  and  beer-drinker  had  asked 
for  a  transfer  to  Berlin  university.  Otto  wanted  to  hear  law 
lectures  by  Savigny. 

fi  He  began  his  Berlin  course  in  a  mocking  way.  There  was 
an  unserved  jail  sentence  hanging  over  Bismarck's  head  at 
Goettingen;  and  with  sham  seriousness,  as  though  he  were 
going  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf,  Otto  humbly  set  up  that,  to 
be  strictly  honest  with  the  professors,  to  jail  Otto  must  go 
and  to  jail  they  sent  him!  But  no  sooner  was  he  out  than 
he  forgot  all  his  good  resolutions,  and  began  his  mad  exist- 
ence again. 

fl  Finally,  in  May,  1835,  he  passed  his  examination  in  law, 
or  "advocate  assistant,"  but  not  without  hiring  a  professional 
"crammer"  to  drill  him  hours  and  hours — to  make  up  for 
wasted  weeks  in  beer  cellars  and  with  the  pretty  girls. 


13 

Deficient  in  discipline,  young  Otto  makes  a  fizzle  of 
his  first  office-holding;  his  shocking  conduct  against 
his  superior  officer;  back  to  the  old  estates,  he  looks 
after  the  cattle,  dogs  and  horses. 

fl  Harum-scarum  days  are  over — and  now  for  the  serious 
business  of  life.  Years  later,  in  the  days  of  his  great  re- 
nown, Bismarck,  thinking  of  his  early  preparation,  always 


42  Blood   and   Iron 

regretted,  he  said,  that  he  did  not  join  the  army.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  he  had  no  serious  plans  for  years  to  come — 
and  it  would  appear  that,  on  the  whole,  his  career  was  de- 
cided by  accident.  Of  this  more,  at  the  right  time,  later. 

•  -•    • 

fl  When  Bismarck  was  20,  he  served  several  months  at  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  in  court  work,  then  was  transferred  to  Potsdam, 
to  the  administrative  side. 

He  soon  showed  himself  deficient  in  discipline.  An  over- 
officer  kept  him  waiting,  and  Bismarck  took  personal  offense. 
At  last  Bismarck  was  admitted.  The  over-officer  was  sitting 
there,  calmly  killing  time  smoking  a  cigar.  Bismarck  leaned 
over  and  in  his  gruff  way  asked,  "Give  me  a  match!"  This 
in  itself  was  highly  insolent,  a  violation  of  Prussian  ideas  of 
discipline.  But  the  astonished  over-officer  complied.  The 
young  clerk  thereupon  sprawled  in  a  chair  and  lighted  his 
cigar. 

It  was,  you  see,  merely  to  show  his  independence.    Also,  it 
meant  that  he  had  to  get  out  of  the  service. 
fl  Bismarck  was  glad  to  go;  he  hated  intensely  the  clock-like 
regularity  of  the  Prussian  bureaucracy. 

fl  His  mother  died  in  1839,  at  which  time  Otto  was  24;  and  on 
the  young  chap  now  fell  the  management  of  the  Pomeranian 
estates. 

fi  In  1844,  Otto  went  to  live  with  his  father  at  Schoenhausen; 
here,  Otto  and  his  brother  looked  after  the  farms.    Otto  was 
later  appointed  Dyke-captain  of  the  Elbe. 
U  Along  about  this  time,  a  religious  revival  swept  through 
Prussia  and  Otto  was  carried  away  on  the  flood;  also,  he  be- 
gan showing  himself  a  strong  monarchical  man. 
Always  religious  and  always  a  King's  man,  at  heart,  Otto 
now  seriously  studied  religion  and  state  affairs.     When  the 
call  came,  he  was  not  found  wanting! 

•  •    • 

fl  We  hasten  along.    In  1847,  Otto's  naturally  deep  religious 

convictions  were  strengthened  by  his  wife's  uncompromising 

orthodoxy. 

fl  It  was  in  this  year,  also,  that  he  made  his  entry  into  Prus- 


Bismarck's   Human   Essence  43 

sian  politics — to  the  study  of  which  he  was  to  devote  his 
long  life  and  his  surprising  genius.  However,  to  present  a 
clear  idea  of  the  work  Bismarck  was  to  do,  it  is  necessary 
to  return,  briefly,  to  an  earlier  day,  and  to  trace  a  complex 
historical  movement  through  the  past.  We  shall  summarize, 
on  broad  lines,  the  problem  presented  by  the  question  of 
German  national  unity.  The  German  problem  comprised  a 
political,  sociological  and  racial  situation  toward  whose  solu- 
tion hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  notable  men  and  women, 
for  several  generations  past,  had  sought  in  vain. 
fl  "Nothing,"  says  Wilhelm  Gorlach,  "can  more  clearly  prove 
Bismarck's  historical  importance  than  the  fact  that  we  are 
obliged  to  go  back  several  centuries  to  understand  the  con 
nection  of  his  actions." 


BOOK  THE  SECOND 
The  German   National  Problem 

CHAPTER  V 

(great 


14 

The  German  crazy-quilt,  of  many  hues  and  colors, 
and  how  this  blanket  was  patched  and  mended 
through  the  years. 

fl  From  the  18th  Century,  and  indeed  before  that  time,  to 
say  nothing  of  years  to  come  as  late  as  1871,  there  was  in 
fact  no  Germany.  The  term  was  a  mere  geographical  "desig- 
nation." We  shall  hear  more  of  this,  as  Bismarck  assumes 
the  stupendous  task  of  German  unity,  in  a  real  sense  of  the 
word;  but  we  will  never  understand  what  Bismarck  and  other 
statesmen  who  hoped  for  German  unity  had  to  deal  with,  un- 
less we  take  a  broad  survey  of  conditions  in  Germany  from 
the  year  1750;  not  only  from  the  political  but  also  from  the 
social  and  domestic  side,  as  represented  in  300-odd  German 
principalities  that  like  a  crazy-quilt  were  thrown  helter-skel- 
ter from  Hamburg  on  the  North  to  Vienna  on  the  South. 
fi  Many  of  the  holdings  were  gained  through  musty  papers 
from  rulers  of  the  ancient  Holy  Roman  Empire,  a  nation  Vol- 
taire declared  "neither  holy,  nor  empire,  nor  Roman." 
fl  There  were  free  cities,  great  landlords,  and  there  were 
great  robber-barons  —  thieves  of  high  or  low  degree. 
fl  At  Cologne,  Treves  and  Mayence  archbishops  held  the  lower 
valley  of  the  Moselle,  also  some  of  finest  parts  of  the  Rhein 
valley. 

II  Next,  came  dukes,  landgraves,  margraves,  cities  of  the  Em- 
pire, and  then  still  smaller,  duchies  in  duodecimo,  down 
through  some  800  minor  landlords  who  as  the  owners  of 
some  borough  or  village  walked  this  earth  genuine  game 
cocks  on  their  own  dunghills.  Political  conditions  were  dis- 
tressing; old  feuds,  old  hates  prevailed. 

(45) 


46  Blood   and   Iron 

There  were  restrictions  on  commerce,  statute  labor,  barbarous 
penal  laws,  religious  persecution  and  Jew-baiting. 

a   H   si 

tf  In  short,  to  make  300-odd  jealous  princelings  join  hands 
in  national  brotherhood  is  the  complex  problem  that  goes 
down  through  the  years;  generation  after  generation;  till  at 
last  the  one  strong  man  appears,  Otto  von  Bismarck,  who  in 
his  supreme  rise  to  power  sees  clearly  that  the  only  hope 
for  Germany  is  in  a  complete  social  and  political  revolution, 
in  which  the  changes  in  the  German  mind  concerning  politi- 
cal unity  in  governmental  affairs  must  be  as  unusual  as  the 
transformations  in  the  German  mode  of  life. 

H     H    H 

U  During  the  early  part  of  the  18th  Century,  of  which  we  are 
now  writing,  a  certain  bold  political  doctrine  still  stood  un- 
challenged. It  had  come  out  of  the  dim  and  hoary  past,  and 
in  effect  it  proclaimed  the  power  of  the  fist.  For  centuries 
unnumbered  the  idea  prevailed  that  a  state  defends  itself 
against  foreign  foes,  and  otherwise  conserves  its  existence 
through  the  direct  will  of  a  strong  ruler,  preferably  a  king 
brought  up  in  arms. 

Thus  the  "genius  of  the  people"  meant  in  effect  the  wisdom 
or  the  ignorance  of  the  line  of  kings. 

Under  this  theory,  Prussia  by  slow  degrees  and  through 
many  sacrifices  of  blood  and  treasure,  had  become  a  great 
power. 

fl  Fred:  Wm.  I.,  (1713-40),  who  was  indeed  a  miger  and  a 
scoffer,  freed  little  Prussia  from  debt  and  rebuilt  cities 
ruined  by  the  wars.  He  likewise  established  a  system  of 
compulsory  education,  made  schoolmasters  state  officers,  and 
contributed  mightily  to  a  higher  standard. 
And  he  went  further  still:  he  welcomed  religious  exiles  from 
other  parts  of  Germany;  he  settled  thousands  of  immigrants 
on  the  raw  lands;  he  saved  his  money,  economized  to  the 
last  pfennig,  was  prudent  in  a  worldly  sense,  and  to  the  end 
of  his  life  remained  intolerable  foe  of  idleness, 
lilt  was  from  this  severe  master  that  the  Great  Frederick 
(1740-86)  learned  the  trick  of  laying  his  cane  over  the  backs 
of  peasants  and  crying  out  in  rage:  "Get  to  work!" 


The    German    National   Problem  47 

fl  Old  Fritz  continued  his  line  of  battle  from  1740  to  1763,  in 
various  unequal  contests  with  the  Allies.  He  fought  Austria, 
France,  Russia,  Sweden,  Saxony,  and  Poland,  and  for  a  while 
he  fought  their  allied  strength.  The  upshot  was  that 
Prussian  enemies  at  home  and  abroad  were  defeated  and 
Prussia  won  first  rank  as  a  military  and  political  power. 
This  idea  of  military  discipline,  united  with  large  worldly 
sagacity  in  the  management  of  state  affairs,  marks  and  ex- 
plains Prussia's  rise  to  power. 

II  But  the  decline  was  equally  manifest  under  Fr:  Wm.  II, 
the  Great  Frederick's  nephew.  Although  he  inherited  a  do- 
main of  six  millions  of  people,  banded  under  an  excellent 
administrative  system,  sustained  by  the  disciplined  army  of 
"Old  Dessaur"  (Prince  Leopold),  and  although  Fr:  Wm.  II 
found  the  huge  sum  of  40,000,000  thalers  in  his  fighting 
uncle's  treasure  chest,  yet  within  a  few  years  all  these 
splendid  advantages  were  frittered  away  in  idle  dalliance 
and  the  weak  king  found  himself  twenty  millions  in  debt. 
By  the  time  he  died,  1797,  Prussia  was  riding  to  a  fall;  and 
disregarding  plain  measures  for  her  own  safety,  she  had 
reached  the  sad  place  where  the  sturdy  old  Prussian  spirit 
of  prudence  and  independence  had  become  so  compromised 
that  Prussia  almost  deemed  it  unessential  to  preserve  her 
own  political  life! 

11  Thus,  within  three  generations,  Prussia  repeated  the  old 
story  of  human  life,  wherein  the  weak  descendant  eats  up 
the  strong  sire's  goods.  Frederick  the  Great  died  Aug. 
17th,  1786.  Within  three  years,  France  struck  at  the  Ger- 
man lands;  and  within  20  years  the  old  Constitution  of  the 
Empire  was  scoffed  at  by  encircling  enemies  along  the 
frontiers,  led  by  France,  while  at  home  political  disputants 
destroyed  National  spirit  by  exciting  revolution  after  revo- 
lution. "Everywhere,"  says  Zimmermann,  (Germany,  p. 
1618),  "one  felt  the  morning  breeze  of  the  new  dispensation." 
The  cry  of  the  people  had  to  be  answered,  and  the  common 
man  wanted  to  know  not  only  "Why!"  but  "When!" 
H  For  the  ensuing  85  years  clamor,  disruption  and  disunion 
continue  often  accompanied  by  bloodshed;  till  through  Bis- 


48  Blood   and   Iron 

marck's  great  work  over  which  he  toiled  for  40-odd  years, 
came  the  final  answer  of  the  Imperial  democracy,  1871. 

m   m  m 

ff  It  is  to  be  the  labor  of  years  with  confusion  worse  con- 
founded, as  we  go  along.  The  Feudal  system,  with  which 
Germany  has  been  for  centuries  petrified,  must  be  thrown  off; 
the  peasant  laborers  freed  in  some  sort,  whether  social  or 
political,  the  absurd  restrictions  of  countless  customs  houses 
walling-in  each  petty  principality,  must  be  destroyed.  Before 
a  new  Germany  may  emerge,  if  Germany  is  to  emerge  at  all, 
a  National  faith  must  be  stimulated,  fighting  blood  stirred, 
wars  waged.  Then,  and  then  only,  may  this  idea  of  German 
Unity,  long  the  puzzling  mental  preoccupation  of  the  fathers, 
become  a  geographical  actuality  and  a  political  fact. 
H  The  German  peasants'  sense  of  respect  for  vested  authority, 
even  when  held  by  hated  kings,  made  the  common  people  of 
the  various  German  states  almost  ox-like  in  their  patience 
under  harsh  political  conditions. 

Between  the  power  of  petty  tyrants  and  of  foreign  despots, 
there  was  no  freedom  worthy  of  the  name. 
The  German  lived  for  himself,  aloof,  suspicious,  not  caring 
particularly  to  change  his  condition. 

Compromise  after  compromise,  failure  after  failure,  sorrow 
after  sorrow  must  be  recorded  in  the  great  story;  but  do  not 
despair.  In  amazing  manner,  through  blood  and  iron,  Otto 
von  Bismarck,  our  blond  Pomeranian  giant,  will  face,  fight 
and  finally  conquer  the  bewildering  cross-forces  of  his  time 
— till  "German  national  faith"  is  supreme. 

SI     B     H 

U  Paying  no  attention  to  its  neighbor,  each  German  state 
stood  off  by  itself;  each  princeling  had  his  army,  in  some 
instances  only  25  men;  each  ruler  had  his  castle,  in  imitation 
of  Versailles;  each  state  its  custom  house,  its  distinct  court 
and  rural  costumes. 

To  go  ten  miles  north  or  south  was  to  find  yourself  in  a  new 
world;  you  could  scarcely  understand  the  mush -talk  of  the 
peasants,  whereas  the  various  Liliputian  courts  chattered  in 
mongrel  French,  aped  from  Versailles. 
U  The  minor  courts  of  Germany  imitated  the  excesses  of  Ver- 


The    German    National   Problem  49 

sallies;  had  dancing  teachers  from  Paris,  French  barbers, 
French  governesses,  and  French  prostitutes. 
Every  young  man  of  wealth  was  sent  to  Paris  to  acquire 
what  was  called  "bon  ton,"  that  is  to  say,  familiarity  with 
the  vices  of  the  day;  the  etiquette  of  the  fan  and  the  study 
of  new  ways  to  spend  money  wrung  from  over-taxed  peasants 
of  German  provinces  was  also  regarded  as  very  important. 
Even  to  speak  German  was  held  a  mark  of  vulgarity;  and 
what  more  despicable  than  to  be  ashamed  of  one's  ancestry? 
IT  Unmoved  by  the  sufferings  of  the  peasants,  Augustus  III 
of  Saxony  applied  himself  to  grand  operas,  written  by  queens 
of  French  society.  While  the  peasants  were  living  like 
beasts,  Frederick  Augustus,  the  successor,  spent  his  time 
hunting  red  deer.  The  dukes  of  Coburg  and  Hildburghausen 
were  miserable  bankrupts.  As  a  result  of  social  excesses, 
Charles  VII  of  Bavaria  left  a  debt  of  forty  millions.  Charles 
Theodore,  in  some  respects  an  enlightened  monarch,  is  par- 
ticularly remembered  for  three  strange  facts:  That  he  once 
gave  an  opera  in  German  and  not  in  French;  that  he  tried 
to  sell  off  Bavaria,  his  inheritance,  and  move  to  a  more  con- 
genial locality;  and  third,  that  he  hired  Rumford,  the  great 
chemist,  to  invent  a  soup,  at  low  cost,  to  feed  the  poor,  whose 
miseries  had  been  growing  on  account  of  the  bad  government. 
ff  Nor  should  we  overlook  the  monarch  at  Zweibrucken,  the 
Pfalzgraf  Charles.  His  mania  took  the  form  of  collecting 
pipes  and  toys,  of  which  he  had  innumerable  specimens  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  He  kept  also  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred horses  and  a  thousand  dogs  and  cats.  Every  traveler 
had  to  take  off  his  hat  and  bow  at  sight  of  the  spire,  on  pain 
of  being  beaten  by  the  Count's  constable. 
IT  Charles  Eugene,  of  Wuertemberg,  slave  to  luxury,  played 
pranks  when  he  was  not  indulging  in  vices.  He  liked  to 
alarm  peasants  at  night  with  wild  cries;  and  when  a  woman 
stuck  her  head  out  of  the  window,  the  monarch  would  throw 
a  hoop  and  try  to  drag  her  outside.  In  a  deep  forest  he  built 
his  castle  "Solitude." 

1f  On  his  50th  birthday,  he  wrote  to  his  subjects,  promising 
to  mend  his  life;  the  letter  was  read  in  all  the  churches. 


50  Blood   and   Iron 

The  people  decided  that  he  was  in  earnest,  promised  him 
more  money,  of  which  he  was  in  sore  need.  His  first  step 
was  to  contract  a  left-handed  marriage  with  Francisca  von 
Bemedin,  whom  he  raised  to  the  rank  of  countess. 
T[  His  next  step  was  to  build  a  queer  bird-cage  for  his  new 
mate.  Menzel  says  of  this  episode:  "Records  of  every  clime 
and  of  every  age  were  here  collected.  A  Turkish  mosque 
contrasted  its  splendid  dome  with  the  pillared  Roman  temple 
and  the  steepled  Gothic  church.  The  castled  turret  rose  by 
the  massive  Roman  tower;  the  low  picturesque  hut  of  the 
modern  peasant  stood  beneath  the  shelter  of  the  gigantesque 
remains  of  antiquity;  and  imitations  of  the  pyramids  of  Ces- 
tius,  of  the  baths  of  Diocletian,  a  Roman  senate-house  and 
Roman  dungeons,  met  the  astonished  eye." 

B  •  • 

Tf  Another  amiable  peculiarity  of  French-mongering  German 
princelings  in  their  petty  monarchies,  was  man-stealing. 
Hard-pressed  for  funds,  the  practice  was  to  kidnap  peasants 
and  sell  them  into  foreign  military  service.  The  vile  trade 
was  dignified  by  court  authority;  followers  of  the  game  were 
known  as  "man  merchants." 

ilThe  Wuertemberg  monarch  in  order  to  raise  funds  to  com- 
plete the  absurd  castle  for  his  mistress,  took  it  into  his  head 
to  sell  1,000  peasants  to  the  Dutch,  for  the  war  in  the  In- 
dies; and  so  deep  lay  the  curse  of  tyranny  that  no  public 
protest  was  raised.  It  is  true  that  Schiller,  the  noble  poet, 
who  at  this  time  was  a  student  at  Charles  College,  fled  in 
disgust,  but  Schaubert,  another  poet,  was  not  so  fortu- 
nate; he  was  seized  and  imprisoned  for  ten  years. 
fl  The  vile  practice  of  man-stealing  from  the  wretched  peas- 
antry long  continued  as  a  monarchical  privilege.  The  Land- 
grave Frederick  of  Hesse-Cassel,  on  one  occasion  sent  12,800 
Hessians  to  the  British,  to  fight  in  America.  English  com- 
missioners came  over  and  inspected  the  captive  men  as 
though  picking  out  stock  at  a  cattle  show.  Should  a  parent 
protest,  a  son,  a  wife  or  a  widow,  the  answer  was  the  lash. 
Hanau  furnished  1200  of  these  slave-soldiers,  Waldeck  sev- 
eral hundred.  Seume,  who  was  himself  a  victim  to  the  sys- 


The    German   National   Problem  51 

tern,  deported  to  America,  tells  us  in  his  Memoirs:  "No  one 
was  safe;  every  means  was  resorted  to,  fraud,  cunning, 
trickery,  violence.  Foreigners  were  thrown  into  prison,  and 
sold." 

"There  is  a  Hessian  prince  of  high  distinction,"  says  Huer- 
gelmer.  "He  has  magnificent  palaces,  pheasant-preserves, 
at  Wilhelmsbad,  operas,  mistresses,  etc.  These  things  cost 
money.  He  has,  moreover,  a  hoard  of  debts,  the  result  of 
the  luxury  of  his  sainted  forefathers.  What  does  the  prince 
do  in  this  dilemma?  He  seizes  an  unlucky  fellow  in  the 
street,  expends  fifty  dollars  on  his  equipment,  sends  him  out 
of  the  country,  and  gets  a  hundred  dollars  for  him  in 
exchange." 

•    B    • 

fl  Frederick  of  Bayreuth  expended  all  his  revenues  in  build- 
ing a  grand  opera  house,  for  giving  balls,  parties,  recep- 
tions and  official  functions  to  aristocrats.  His  successor 
Alexander  fell  under  the  sway  of  Lady  Craven,  a  British  ad- 
venturess, who  led  the  peasants  a  merry  chase  for  the  cash; 
man-stealing  was  the  old  game;  and  one  order  alone  from 
the  British  government  called  for  1,500  peasants. 

SHE) 

U  But  why  continue  the  recital  of  man's  inhumanities  ? 
Charles  of  Brunswick,  a  spendthrift,  who  sold  subjects  into 
captivity,  paid  his  ballet-master  30,000   a  year.     Frederick 
of  Brunswick  on  one  occasion  sold  4,00'0  peasants  to  Britain, 
for  the  army. 

U  The  terrible  famine  of  1770-72  added  to  the  discontent  of 
the  common  man,  throughout  Germany;  he  began  to  feel 
that  it  was  the  duty  of  kings  to  feed  the  hungry;  bark, 
grass,  leaves,  carrion  were  eaten;  disease  spread;  emigrations 
depopulated  the  Rheinlands;  20,000  left  Bavaria  alone;  while 
upwards  of  180,000  Bavarians  died  of  hunger;  in  Saxony,  the 
number  that  starved  to  death  is  placed  at  100,000.  Other 
kingdoms  suffered  heavily. 

H  In  many  of  the  provinces  were  laws  to  prevent  immigration; 
those  who  tried  to  get  Bavarians  to  leave  the  country  were 
guilty  of  a  crime,  punishable  by  hanging.  A  similar  punish- 
ment was  exacted  for  marrying  out  of  one's  native  province. 


52  Blood   and   Iron 

II  Also,  the  wretched  condition  of  the  roads  added  to  the  iso- 
lation of  the  various  German  provinces.  Exacting  customs' 
duties,  military  espionages,  a  weak  postal  system,  con- 
tributed to  keep  Germans  unacquainted,  except  with  near 
neighbors.  He,  indeed,  was  a  bold  man  who  had  gone  over 
the  mountains  or  beyond  his  native  valley.  Even  a  journey 
of  two  days  caused  grave  anxieties;  the  carriage  was  almost 
certain  to  be  overturned  in  some  deep  rut  and  the  travelers 
injured  or  killed;  robbers  lay  in  wait  in  the  mountains;  pro- 
tection was  almost  unheard  of;  life  and  property  were  inse- 
cure; every  traveler  had  to  be  his  own  policeman,  and  never 
issued  forth  on  a  journey  without  dagger,  pistol  and  sword. 

HUH 

fi  Thus,  300  princelings,  great  or  small,  were  determined  to 
rule  in  their  individual  capacities;  there  was  no  Germany 
in  fact,  and  that  much  of  the  German  Empire  that  had  out- 
lived the  gradual  ruin  of  the  old  Holy  Roman  Empire,  the 
great-ancestor  of  Germany,  was  now  approaching  complete 
dissolution. 

The  power  lay  no  more  in  states,  but  in  300-odd  local  politi- 
cal bureaus,  scattered  everywhere,  dominated  often  enough 
by  an  ambitious  French  prostitute,  or  by  some  lucky  ballet- 
master. 

fl  Then,  there  was  August  of  Saxony,  who  is  said  to  have 
been  the  father  of  300  children.  This  foolish  fellow's  fetes 
cost  thalers  by  the  wagon-load;  one  set  of  Chinese  porce- 
lains ran  into  the  millions,  and  it  cost  6,000  thalers  to  gild 
the  gondolas  for  a  night  in  June,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fancy 
ball. 

U  The  Baden  monarch,  Charles  William,  built  Carlsruhe  in  the 
deep  forest,  the  better  that  his  orgies  be  kept  from  prying 
eyes. 

HEberhardt  of  Wuertemberg  gave  the  whole  conduct  of  his 
government  over  to  women  and  Jews — and  by  the  way  the 
Jews  were  the  only  saving  force.  As  for  the  Graevenitz 
woman,  she  was  king  in  petticoats.  She  mortgaged  crown 
lands  and  raised  hell  generally.  One  day  in  church  she  made 
a  fuss  about  not  being  mentioned  among  royal  rulers,  and 
the  pastor  immediately  replied:  "Madam,  we  mention  you 


The    German    National   Problem  53 

daily  in  our  prayers  when  we  say:  'O  Lord,  deliver  us  from 
all  evil!'  "  Once,  in  time  of  famine,  Charles  William  scat- 
tered loaves  of  bread;  the  rabble  maddened  by  hunger  fought 
to  the  death  for  the  dole! 

HAlso,  there  were  Ernest  of  Hanover  and  Tony  of  Bruns- 
wick, two  precious  rascals,  with  all  their  retinue  of  mis- 
tresses, mistresses'  maids,  mothers,  hangers-on,  and  pimps. 
Carl  Magnus  had  his  Grehweiler  palace  costing  180,000  guel- 
den.  He  grew  so  desperate  that  the  Emperor  sent  him  to  a 
fortress  for  ten  years'  imprisonment,  for  forging  documents 
to  raise  the  wind.  Count  Limburg-Styrum  was  a  princeling 
whose  army  consisted  of  one  colonel,  six  officers  and  two 
privates!  Count  William  of  Bueckeburg  had  a  fort  with  300 
guns,  defending  a  cabbage  patch.  Count  Frederick  of  Salm- 
Kyrburg  swindled  the  churches;  and  in  tiny  Schwarzburg- 
Sondershausen,  only  15  miles  square,  was  a  royal  palace  of 
350  rooms  with  clocks  of  all  sizes,  great  and  small,  in  each 
apartment.  This  count  went  mad  over  clocks,  but  was  popu- 
lar with  the  working  class;  often  he  would  take  a  man  off  a 
job  in  order  to  laugh  and  joke. 

Also,  Frederick  had  original  taste  in  military  affairs;  his 
army  comprised  150  soldiers,  with  28  guards  on  horseback. 
The  prince  prided  himself  on  being  a  wrestler,  and  one  day 
when  a  yokel  threw  the  prince,  the  prince  set  up  a  great  cry, 
"I  slipped  on  a  cherry  stone!" — and  this  regardless  of  the 
fact  that  it  was  not  the  time  of  the  year  for  cherries. 
ff  There  was  another  local  ruler,  Ludwig  Guenther,  who  was 
fond  of  painting  horses,  and  on  his  death  246-odd  horse  pic- 
tures adorned  the  walls  of  his  palace. 

•    •    • 

fi"Show  a  German  a  door  and  tell  him  to  go  through,  and 
he  will  try  to  break  a  hole  in  the  wall." 

If  "Here,  every  one  lives  apart  in  his  own  narrow  corner,  with 
his  own  opinions;  his  wife  and  children  round  him;  ever  sus- 
picious of  the  Government,  as  of  his  neighbor;  judging  every- 
thing from  his  personal  point  of  view,  and  never  from  gen- 
eral grounds. 

fi  "The  sentiment  of  individualism  and  the  necessity  for  con- 
tradiction are  developed  to  an  inconceivable  degree  in  the 
German." 


54  Blood   and   Iron 

HThe  problem  of  directing  this  intense  individualism  is  the 
problem  of  German  unity. 

•  ''•    • 

HWith  rough  manners,  blunders,  extravagances,  absurdi- 
ties, the  hereditary  princes  continued  to  sponge  on  the  peas- 
ants, generation  after  generation,  till  wretchedness  spread 
far  over  the  German  lands.  They  had  their  chateaux,  their 
dancing  girls,  their  dogs,  horses,  cats,  mistresses  and  their 
royal  armies. 

II  The  misery  of  centuries  of  oppression  existed;  petty  mon- 
archs  exercised  powers  of  life  and  death, 
fl  The  South  German  mocked  the  North  German's  pronun- 
ciation. One  set  vowed  that  the  "g"  in  "goose"  is  hard, 
the  other  proclaimed  that  the  "g"  is  soft.  One  side  went 
about  mumbling  with  hard  "g's,"  "A  well-baked  goose  is  a 
gracious  gift  of  God,"  whereupon  the  other  side  replied  that 
all  the  "g's"  are  "j's,"  that  the  "gute  ganz"  is  really 
"jute  janz,"  and  "Gottes"  "Jottes."  And  duels  were  fought 
over  it. 

fl  Nor  was  this  all.  An  intense  local  pride  expressed  itself  in 
grotesque  dialects,  unsoftened  by  intercourse  with  the  outer 
world;  also,  there  were  outlandish  fashions  in  dress  and  other 
domestic  affairs. 

U  In  Brunswick  the  women  wore  green  aprons,  curious  black 
caps,  the  men  buff  coats,  red  vests  with  four  rows  of  buttons, 
caps  with  crazy  pompons,  buckled  slippers  and  gay  ribbon 
garters. 

U  In  lower  Saxony  the  women  wore  flat  straw  hats,  like  a 
dinner  plate,  hair  plastered  down,  head-dresses  of  gigantic 
black  ribbons,  aprons  of  gay  stripes,  and  ten  petticoats  com- 
ing only  a  little  below  the  knee.  The  men  wore  farce- 
comedy  costumes,  not  unlike  coachmen. 

Ti  In  Pomerania-Rugen  the  women  admired  scarlet  petticoats, 
knee-length,  capes  like  turko-rugs,  black  veils,  green  garters 
and  blue  stockings.  The  men  wore  aprons  like  butchers,  caps 
and  long-tailed  coats. 

fi  The  Hessian  women  preferred  turbans  of  red,  vestees  of 
gay  stuffs,  blue,  green  or  yellow  knee-length  skirts. 


The    German   National   Problem  55 

ft  The  Baden  men  folk  liked  reds,  greens  and  yellows,  vests 
adorned  with  many  ribbons,  top  boots,  high  white  collars  and 
funny-looking   black   coats.      The   women   had    their    green 
aprons,  puffed  sleeves,  and  ten  short  petticoats. 
fi  In  East  Prussia  men  wore  double  and  triple  vests.    As  for 
the  women,  they  looked  like  animals  in  the  zoo. 
fi  In  Wuertemberg,  a  typical  landlord  wore  a  blue  peajacket 
with  two  rows  of  large  silver  buttons,  two  vests  of  high  con- 
trasting colors,  a  black  sash,  salmon-colored  trousers,  pol- 
ished boots; — and  carried  a  meerschaum  pipe. 
fi  In  Bavaria  one  saw  green  vests,  yodlers'  hats  with  tiny 
feathers,  green  leggings,  or  military  boots;  and  among  the 
women  gay  vestees,  bright  shawls  and  white  kerchiefs. 

Hug] 

fl  Thus,  the  dead-weight  of  centuries  still  lay  like  a  mountain 
on  the  various  German  states. 

fl  This  dead-weight  of  olden  times  kept  the  German  states 
bickering  among  themselves. 

For  long  years  past,  the  people  were  divided  by  political 
brawls,  altercations,  affrays,  squabbles,  feuds,  often  with  the 
loss  of  life.  The  general  disposition  was  choleric,  pugna- 
cious, litigious. 

There  was  bad  blood  over  principles  and  procedure,  policies 
and  plans.  | 

To  transform  aloofness  to  neighborliness,  tumult  to  concilia- 
tion, quarreling  to  friendliness,  hostility  to  good  will,  dis- 
sent must  give  way  to  assent,  distrust  to  faith,  denial  to 
admission,  misgiving  to  conviction,  political  atheism  to  po- 
litical revelation. 

Such  are  some  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  human  animal;  and 
in  political  life  human  animals  are  prone  to  fight  for  self- 
interest,  like  dogs  over  a  bone. 

•    •    • 

fi  We  are  not  going  to  try  to  tell  you  of  the  many  efforts  by 
rash  reformers,  in  the  half -century  of  the  dead-weight,  lead- 
ing to  the  rise  of  Prussia. 

Again  and  again,  far-sighted  Germans,  sick  unto  death  at 
the  way  things  were  going,  urged  equality  for  all  men  be- 


56  Blood   and   Iron 

fore  the  law,  equal  taxation,  restriction  of  the  power  of  the 
nobles. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  peasants  themselves  stood  in 
the  way.  They  did  not  care  to  change  their  condition,  miser- 
able as  it  was.  They  dreaded  the  future,  preferred  present 
miseries  than  to  risk  new  ills.  For  example,  on  one  occa- 
sion, a  certain  political  idealist  excited  the  peasants  in  revolt, 
assassinated  120  nobles,  destroyed  264  castles.  This  was  in 
the  time  of  Joseph  II,  of  Austria,  the  ruler  filled  with  amaz- 
ing ideas  of  equality.  The  peasants  themselves  were  the 
first  to  protest,  much  as  they  detested  the  nobles;  and  the 
unsupported  leaders  died  on  the  wheel,  while  150  miserable 
followers  were  buried  alive. 

And  yet,  at  that  very  moment,  the  idealistic  Joseph,  who 
with  an  excess  of  zeal,  tried  for  political  equality,  made 
enemies  of  his  nobles,  enemies  of  his  peasants,  likewise.  The 
great  reformer  was  held  a  fanatic,  intent  on  destroying 
government.  Too  far  ahead  of  his  time,  his  plans  for  po- 
litical semi-equality  failed. 

ff  This  monarch,  thinking  to  make  a  lesson,  had  swindling 
nobles  placed  in  the  stocks,  like  common  thieves. 
Joseph  was  one  of  the  first  great  democrats,  in  the  modern 
sense.    To  him,  the  cause  of  the  common  man  was  sacred. 
He  believed  in  genuine  equality,  but  alas,  he  did  not  know 
how  to  bring  about  the  political  Millennium. 
fi  He  threw  open  the  parks  to  the  people;  he  proclaimed 
free   speech   and   free   thought;   he   abolished   serfdom;    he 
labored  to  construct  a  state-machine  with  one   system   of 
justice  and  one  National  plan. 

Joseph,  though  overbrimming  with  emotions  for  the  common 
man's  political  salvation,  failed  to  allow  for  the  ignorance 
of  his  people,  their  stubborn  avowal  of  local  self-interests. 
U  And  it  fell  out  that  his  people  thought  that  Joseph  was 
trying  to  enslave  them  the  more;  ingratitude  and  misappre- 
hensions  followed,   destroying  the   liberal   reformer's   most 
cherished  plans  for  his  beloved  Austria-Germany. 
The  word  was  passed  along  that  Joseph  was  a  tyrant.    You 
see,  as  frequently  happens,  the  people  preferred  old  abuses 


The    German   National   Problem  57 

to  new  ways.  The  general  population  hugged  their  chains 
and  refused  to  be  delivered. 

This  singular  belief  in  the  past,  rather  than  in  the  future,  is 
indeed  a  human  weakness  and  has  checked  and  restrained 
the  rise  of  intellectual  freedom  since  the  world  began. 

•  •   • 

Tilt  might  all  have  been  a  good  lesson  to  republicans,  but 
the  nobility  assumed  a  threatening  attitude  and  the  peasants 
did  not  understand  a  monarch  like  Joseph. 
Their  idea  of  a  king  was  a  man  going  upstairs  on  horseback 
and  eating  spiders.  A  king  must  have  powers  of  life  and 
death  and  bags  of  gold.  A  citizen  king  was  absurd. 
The  peasantry,  on  whom  Joseph  had  endeavored  to  bestow 
many  large  democratic  privileges,  rose  against  him.  He  died 
Feb.  20,  1790,  "a  century  too  early,"  says  Jellenz,  and  as 
Remer  adds,  "misunderstood  by  a  people  unworthy  of  such  a 
sovereign." 

S3   is   s 

H  Germany,  in  the  sad  period  between  1750  and  1806  had 
long  been  a  European  political  jest;  these  are  hard  words, 
but  it  is  the  language  of  truth. 

She  had  sunk  so  low  that  she  saw  no  degradation  in  going 
off  to  fight  French  or  British  wars,  while  at  home  remaining 
a  mere  political  nonentity. 

She  had  sunk  so  low,  under  French  influences,  and  through 
her  own  lack  of  self-control,  that  she  forgot  her  great  an- 
cestors and  her  noble  traditions. 

She  had  sunk  so  low  that  her  very  children  were  brought  up 
to  despise  the  language  of  the  Fatherland;  the  children  scoff- 
ing at  the  parents,  aped  foreign  ways  rather  than  support 
German  originality,  strength  and  national  genius;  young  men 
coming  of  age  preferred  to  leave  the  land  of  their  birth, 
mocked  the  simple  German  virtues,  and  occupied  themselves 
in  idle  dalliance  in  Paris,  or  failing  in  this,  set  up  imitations 
of  French  courts  in  the  petty  German  monarchies. 
Thus,  finally  Germany  became  insensible,  indifferent  and  de- 
based by  stupid  and  selfish  ideals  from  beyond  the  Vosges; 
till  at  last  Germany  became,  literally,  a  land  without  a  peo- 
ple, a  people  without  a  land. 


58  Blood    and   Iron 

1;  Worse  still,  the  time  came  when,  under  thege  false  teach- 
ings, a  sense  of  shame  no  longer  lived,  to  arouse  great  na- 
tional interests  and  to  recall  degenerate  sons  to  their  solemn 
duties  to  their  Fatherland. 

Hundreds  of  noble  Germans,  at  one  time  or  another,  during 
these  dark  years,  tried  in  vain  by  voice  or  pen  to  restore  na- 
tional consciousness,  but  failed.  The  problem  of  German 
liberty  seemed  incapable  of  solution;  and  as  for  the  still 
larger  problem  of  German  unity — that  became  a  mere  dream. 

H     g     H 

fl  We  glorify  here  and  now,  the  genius  and  the  manhood  of 
Bismarck  as  the  one  man  who  had  the  strength  of  purpose 
to  recall  to  Germans  the  heroic  tale  of  a  free  and  united 
Fatherland. 

It  took  him  thirty  years  or  more,  through  well-nigh  super- 
human striving;  he  preached,  he  cursed,  he  vilified,  he  used 
the  iron  rod. 

He  would  have  absolutely  nothing  to  do  with  the  political 
ideas  from  over  the  Vosges;  he  knew  too  well  the  curse  of 
olden  times,  and  his  one  great  central  emotion  was  to  end 
that  condition — as  he  hoped  forever. 

You  are  to  read  of  the  battles  of  a  giant,  filled  with  immense 
compassion  for  the  follies  and  weaknesses  of  his  misled 
countrymen,  filled,  too,  with  fanatical  zeal  to  punish,  that 
good  might  come  of  it  at  last. 

Bismarck  used  the  strong  military  arm,  the  hell  fires  and  the 
lightnings. 

His  nature  scorned  any  further  mere  palliation  of  the  weak- 
nesses of  human  nature.  Like  all  supermen,  Bismarck  struck 
straight  from  the  shoulder;  in  turn  to  be  misunderstood, 
cursed  and  reviled  by  the  very  people  he  would  serve;  but 
in  the  end  aroused  German  manhood  to  a  just  comprehension 
of  the  power  and  dignity  of  a  free  and  united  Fatherland. 

•    •'  • 

fl  For  upwards  of  100  years  before  Bismarck's  great  hour, 
the  French  had  been  accustomed  to  exploit  Germany.  To  fill 
the  pocketbook,  to  provide  soldiers  for  wars,  or  to  afford  op- 
portunities for  buccaneering  expeditions,  were  all  the  same. 


The    German    National   Problem  59 

We  do  not  say  this  to  bring  up  any  "moral"  issue,  but  we 
make  the  statement  merely  as  one  uses  the  word  dung  or 
manure. 

That  is  to  say,  certain  historical  facts  stink  to  heaven. 
Annexations,  concessions,  raids,  riots  at  the  hands  of  the 
French  conspired  to  keep  Germany  disunited,  belligerent  and 
mutinous;  and  as  the  years  passed  Germany,  to  a  large  ex- 
tent, seduced  by  French  ways,  lost  a  sense  of  her  dignity. 
France  had  looked  to  Germany  to  furnish  allies  to  help  fight 
Prussia,  Austria  or  England;  then  England  turned  the  trick 
against  France.  It  is  discouraging  to  add  that  even  the 
great  Goethe  was  so  seduced  by  the  glamour  of  Napoleon's 
genius  that  he  wrote  these  strange  words  in  praise  of  the 
French  tyrant: 

Doubts  that  have  baffled  thousands,  he  has  solved: 
Ideas  o'er  which  centuries  have  brooded, 
His  giant  mind  intuitively  compressed. 

fl  Thus,  you  have  before  you  this  spectacle :  Germany's  great- 
est poetical  genius  forgets  the  sad  reality  of  his  broken, 
dispirited  and  disrupted  country  and  leaves  her  to  her 
wretched  fate;  passing  his  time  as  a  sentimental  voluptuary 
in  the  splendor  of  the  Weimar  court,  where  he  concerns  him- 
self with  such  works  as  "Elective  Affinities,"  a  frank  endorse- 
ment of  adultery. 

fl  On  the  other  side,  the  noble  Schiller,  poet  of  the  people,  re- 
called to  his  fellow  countrymen  the  faded  glory  of  Germany. 
"Schiller  stands  forth,"  says  Menzel,  "as  the  champion  of 
liberty,  justice  and  his  country." 

In  a  word,  it  took  Germany  100  years  to  learn  by  suffering 
that  if  she  is  ever  to  regain  her  fallen  prestige  as  a  nation, 
she  must  fight  her  enemies  at  home  and  abroad;  she  must 
restore  the  military  ideal  of  ancient  times.  And  here,  in  a 
nutshell,  is  the  very  root  of  all  this  cry  about  militarism: 
The  man  who  will  not  fight  for  what  he  regards  as  his  politi- 
cal rights,  remains  a  slave  his  whole  life  long;  for  it  is  the 
essential  nature  of  man  to  exercise  tyrannous  power  over 
human  lives,  whenever  such  practice  holds  out  promise  of 
advantage. 


60  Blood   and   Iron 

Therefore,  Bismarck  again  trained  Germany  to  be  a  fighting 
nation;  and  if  an  ideal  of  a  free  and  united  people  is  no  jus- 
tification, then  words  have  no  meaning. 
jg]    us    BB 
15 

The  French  peasant's  son,  returning  from  the  wars 

brings  his  wife  a  diamond  necklace. 

UThe  cross-angles  of  politics,  for  years,  lead  as  far  as  one 
cares  to  go,  in  this  German  family  fight.  Each  petty  state 
has  its  intrigues  and  its  grievances;  you  become  befuddled; 
it  is  all  weariness  of  the  flesh. 

fl  However,  behind  all  the  political  jargon,  mighty  forces  are 
taking  form;  and  little  by  little,  certain  outstanding  facts 
come  to  view,  involving  every  king,  knight,  bishop,  prince 
and  pauper  on  the  German  map,  from  the  North  Sea  to  the 
Black  Sea, 

After  1789,  the  German  was  down  with  that  new  disease, 
French  constitutionalism;  liberty,  fraternity  and  equality. 
No  human  being  knew  exactly  what  it  meant.  It  was  a 
political  fever  that  had  to  be  gone  through  with;  and  blood- 
letting was  the  only  cure. 

Monarchs  seemingly  secure  on  their  thrones  from  the  days 
of  old,  now  shivered  like  ghosts  as  the  mobs  marched  the 
streets  of  Vienna  and  Berlin,  waiving  new  flags  and  crying 
"Liberty!" 

fl  The  word  "liberty"  went  to  the  crook-backed  German  peas- 
ant's brain  like  wine;  he  grew  mad  with  the  idea  of  an  im- 
possible world,  in  which  he  could  decree  as  he  desired  and 
all  would  bow  to  him,  though  he  in  return  would  bow  to 
nobody;  in  short,  liberty  for  him,  but  death  to  the  others; 
and  were  it  possible  to  confiscate  the  property  of  the  princes 
and  redistribute  the  loot  among  the  peasants,  so  much  the 
better. 

flBefore  we  go  into  this  thing,  let  us  remember  that  as 
the  French  armies  marched  over  Europe,  the  doom  of  kings 
had  been  cracking  and  rumbling. 

The  soldiers  carried  everywhere  the  idea  of  French  equality, 
that  is  to  say,  to  the  popular  mind  an  opportunity  to  share 


The    German   National   Problem  61 

the  loot.  Napoleon  himself,  reflecting  on  his  own  career  and 
on  the  follies  of  the  French  revolution,  said:  "Let  us  now 
turn  ourselves  to  something  practical;  the  bombastic  ideas  of 
the  Revolution  have  exhausted  themselves  in  grotesque  ef- 
forts at  self-government.  All  the  Revolution  means  is  an 
opportunity  for  a  man  of  talents  to  show  what  he  can  do." 
fl  And  the  French  soldiers,  returning  from  tne  wars,  brought 
their  wives  and  daughters  gold  rings,  bracelets  and  diamond 
necklaces,  the  loot  of  the  capitals  of  Europe. 
fi  As  for  Napoleon,  he,  of  course,  took  the  lion's  share;  but  a 
diamond  necklace  to  a  soldier's  wife  is  indeed  a  powerful 
argument  on  the  importance  of  the  new  democratic  era,  in 
which  peasants'  sons  wear  gold  lace  and  their  womankind 
ride  in  carriages. 

Also,  many  of  the  generals  of  France  were  sons  of  peasants; 
and  an  account  of  Napoleon's  marshals  would  show  the 
humble  origin  of  men  of  the  hour,  sons  of  soap  boilers,  tavern 
keepers,  stable-bosses. 

fl  One  may  imagine  the  result  of  such  surprising  overturn- 
ings  of  caste,  in  old-world  conditions.  Henceforth  the  peas- 
ants of  all  lands  will  naturally  regard  their  respective  kings 
as  so  many  dogs,  to  be  shot  to  death  at  the  first  splendid 
opportunity!  And  Germany  is  no  exception. 
fl  Forward  march,  ye  sons  of  the  soil,  there  are  stormy  days 
ahead  for  you,  through  your  "new"  ideas. 


CHAPTER  VI 

'B  i* 

16 

Humiliations    heaped    upon    her    by    France;    the 
strange  combination,  the  lash  and  the  kiss  I 

Tf  First,  let  us  quote  from  Bismarck,  who  looking  backward 
after  his  amazing  politico-military  triumph  at  Koeniggraetz, 
(1866),  tells  a  French  interviewer  for  "Le  Siecle"  this  root- 
fact  about  Germans,  their  weakness  and  their  power: 
U"No  government,  however  it  may  act,  will  be  popular  in 


62  Blood   and   Iron 

Prussia;  the  majority  in  the  country  will  always  be  opposed 
to  it;  simply  from  its  being  the  Government; — and  holding 
authority  over  the  individual,  the  central  authority  is  always 
doomed  to  be  constantly  opposed  by  the  moderates,  and  de- 
cried and  despised  by  the  ultras.  This  has  been  the  common 
fate  of  all  successive  governments  since  the  beginning  of  che 
dynasty.  Neither  liberal  ministers,  nor  reactionary  minis- 
ters have  found  favor  with  our  Prussian  politicians. 
fi  "Frederick  William  III,  surnamed  the  Just,  had  succeeded 
as  little  as  Frederick  William  IV  in  satisfying  the  Prussian 
nation. 

JI  "They  shouted  themselves  hoarse  at  the  victories  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great,  but  at  his  death  they  rubbed  their  hands  at 
the  thought  of  being  delivered  from  the  tyrant!  Despite  this 
antagonism,  there  exists  a  deep  attachment  to  the  royal 
house.  No  sovereign  or  minister,  no  government,  can  win 
the  favor  of  Prussian  individualism.  Yet  all  cry  from  the 
depths  of  their  hearts,  'God  save  the  King!'  And  they  obey 
when  the  King  commands." 

IS     H     H 

U  With  this  clue  from  the  master  before  us,  the  thing  to  do 
is,  clearly,  to  reach  out  after  this  German  Unity  idea  in  a 
broad  way. 

fi  Napoleon's  armies  had  marched  everywhere,  during  all 
those  victorious  years,  and  each  soldier  had  been  a  living 
exemplar  of  the  power  of  National  glory. 
This  National  spirit  in  his  armies  had  helped  Napoleon  amaz- 
ingly, despite  his  genius  as  a  soldier.  The  great  Prussian 
patriot,  Stein,  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  time  and  an 
early  believer  in  the  high  destiny  of  his  country,  began  study- 
ing some  of  the  more  obscure  but  vital  forces  behind  Na- 
poleon's career  of  glory.  Stein  finally  read  the  secret  and 
urged  that  as  Napoleon  had  won  by  National  spirit,  so  Na- 
poleon could  in  the  end  be  defeated  by  a  similar  National 
spirit  when  properly  opposed  to  him;  and  Napoleon  with  one 
terrifying  black  look  saw  that  von  Stein  had  divined  the 
real  force  of  French  solidarity,  a  proclamation  was  out  for 
von  Stein's  head,  and  the  patriot  who  dreamed  of  his  Con- 
federation of  Germany,  against  the  French,  or  any  other  for- 


The    German   National   Problem  63 

eign  foe,  was  obliged  to  make  his  escape  to  the  heart  of  the 
Bohemian  mountains. 

H     H     H 

If  Fr:  Wm.  II  (1797-1840),  child  of  the  Revolution,  to  his 
dying  day  remained  untouched  by  the  new  political  principles 
that  had  their  origin  beyond  the  Rhine.  Compound  of  dreams 
and  realities,  William  had  led  a  repressed  life;  for  one  thing, 
he  did  not  fight  for  his  opinions;  indeed  his  opinions  were 
literary  and  artistic;  a  peculiar  pietism  bound  him;  he  be- 
lieved too  much  in  man's  natural  goodness;  being  an  honest 
man  himself,  he  did  not  readily  suspect  others. 
If  This  Frederick  was  always  thinking  of  a  Germany  built  on 
the  traditional  order,  with  all  intervening  social  grades,  from 
peasant  to  king  upon  his  throne,  each  bowing  and  scraping 
to  the  other;  and  Frederick,  as  the  father  of  his  kingdom,  ex- 
ercising a  despotic  paternalism. 

If  Nor  did  he  see  that  the  French  revolution  had  been  fought 
and  Napoleon's  armies  had  carried  afar  if  not  the  seeds  of 
political  equality,  at  least  the  glorious  conception  that  "revo- 
lution means  opportunity  for  men  of  talents,  everywhere." 
If  The  pressure  on  the  king  was  found  in  this :  that  under 
duress  he  had  promised  a  written  constitution. 
If  And  behold  Frederick  in  these  troublous  times !  For  eleven 
long  years,  off  and  on,  he  tries  to  find  a  common  ground  of 
religious  formulas  for  the  united  Lutheran  and  Reformed 
churches.  He  even  attacks  Rome  on  the  question  of  mixed 
marriages.  Of  course,  he  failed  utterly,  this  noble-minded 
Hohenzollern  who  believed  too  implicitly  in  the  inherent 
goodness  of  mankind. 

If  Repair  then  to  your  church  windows  and  read  your  black- 
letter  Bible,  you  dreaming  Frederick;  such  is  your  story,  in 
a  few  words. 

Gabble  about  your  Gothic  restorations  as  you  will,  and  your 
correct  revisions  of  the  liturgy,  Frederick,  it  remains  for 
your  Louise  to  do  a  man's  work  against  French  foes,  and 
thus  hasten  the  slow-coming  of  United  Germany. 

HUH 

If  In  the  meantime,  Prussia  is  falling  to  pieces  for  lack  of  the 
mailed  fist.  Everything  is  going  to  rack  and  ruin;  beloved 


64  Blood   and   Iron 

Prussia  repeatedly  humiliated  by  French  invaders;  and  had 
it  not  been  for  noble  Queen  Louise  there  might  well  be  no 
Prussian  glory  at  this  hour  to  record. 

TJHer  lovely  countenance,  wreathed  in  smiles,  is  immortal- 
ized for  us  through  the  art  of  Joseph  Grassi;  and  is  to  be 
seen  in  the  Hohenzollern  Museum. 

The  artist  depicts  her  with  youthful  charm,  her  fair  brow 
adorned  by  her  slender  crown,  whose  weight,  alas,  although 
slight,  gave  her  no  rest  till  death. 

Her  eyes  are  gentle,  and  about  her  face  and  form  is  the  in- 
definable touch  of  ever-present  girlishness,  never  to  fade, 
even  in  the  woman-grown. 

fi  It  were  nearer  the  truth  to  say  Louise  personifies  Prussia's 
ambition  to  power. 

flThis  beautiful  woman  bore  indeed  a  heavy  burden;  well  she 
knew  the  dread  and  fear  of  kings  and  kingly  office. 
II  On  the  one  side  was  the  tyrant  Napoleon,  on  the  other  Fr: 
Wilhelm,  her  kingly  husband,  without  an  idea  outside  of 
cathedral  architecture  and  bishoprics  in  Jerusalem;  yet 
Louise  willed  that  Prussia  should  seize  the  reins  of  power, 
shake  off  the  French  yoke,  and  mount  the  heights  of  glory. 

•    •    • 

l|As  a  foil  to  the  ferocious  Bismarck — himself  a  majestic 
king-maker — here  we  reveal  to  you  a  true  creator  of  National 
honor,  in  the  form  of  a  frail,  fair  woman;  showing  thus  how 
far  the  pendulum  of  Time  and  Chance  often  rocks  in  bring- 
ing about  political  changes. 

Though  poles  apart,  the  brutal  Bismarck  stands  side  by  side 
with  the  lovely  Louise;  the  blood  and  iron  of  the  man  were 
of  no  avail  without  the  finesse  of  the  woman. 
Thus  this  singular  cross-fertilization,  compounded  of  smiles 
and  frowns — the  kiss  and  the  lash — the  white  jeweled  hand 
and  the  mailed  fist  in  the  end  makes  it  possible  for  humili- 
ated Prussia  to  rise  again — the  late  harvest  of  the  years 
bringing  the  reality  of  our  United  Germany. 
II  Bismarck's  amazing  story  we  spread  before  you  in  detail, 
but  beside  that  frowning  rock  we  stoop  for  a  moment  to 
pluck  the  modest  violets  clinging  all  unobserved  in  a  gloomy 
place  where  the  sun  seldom  comes;  these  flowers  are  Louise 


The    German   National   Problem  65 

and  their  subtle  perfume  symbolizes  the  penetrating  yet  deli- 
cate incense  of  her  pathetic  life. 

II  Without  Louise,  our  story  were  soon  ended.  Otherwise  Bis- 
marck himself  could  not  have  come  into  the  illustrious  pages 
of  history.  Noble  Prussian  queen,  heroine  of  Prussian  glory, 
mother-consoler  in  the  twilight,  your  gentle  spirit  hovers  like 
some  evening-star,  luminous  with  hope. 

IS     SI     H 

17 

Napoleon's  hated  Continental  system  of  domination 
causes  Prussian  downfall — The  Queen  decides  to 
fight  back. 

Tf  The  treaty  of  Luneville,  February,  1801,  now  seemed  to 
lend  color  to  Napoleon's  greatest  delusion  of  grandeur;  he 
would  restore  the  ancient  domain  of  Charlemagne,  compris- 
ing France,  Germany  and  Italy!  Signing  with  Prussia  and 
Bavaria,  Napoleon  confiscated  broad  Papal  domains  along 
the  Rhine,  lands  that  had  been  in  possession  of  the  church 
since  Roman  times.  With  this  bribe  for  secular  princes,  as 
the  price  of  the  readjustment,  exactly  112  Teutonic  domains, 
petty  in  size  but  all-powerful  with  the  prestige  of  centuries, 
vanished  from  the  map.  The  holy  Electors  of  Treves  and 
Cologne,  those  empire-makers  of  ancient  days,  were  stripped 
of  their  worldly  possessions,  and  expelled  from  the  Papal 
lands. 

Tf  There  were  even  rumors  of  a  French-supported  Emperor  of 
Prussia — think  of  that! 

Francis  of  Austria,  for  reasons  of  policy,  gave  up  the  high- 
swelling  title,  "Holy  Roman  Emperor,"  and  more  modestly 
contented  himself  with  "Emperor  of  Austria." 
fl  And  now,  when  Napoleon's  delusion — Charlemagne — 
seemed  on  the  very  point  of  realization,  there  came  the  third 
Coalition  against  him;  Prussia  joined  against  France;  but 
Napoleon  soon  gained  the  most  noted  of  his  victories,  Auster- 
litz;  15,000  prisoners,  12,000  dead  on  the  field,  represented 
Austria's  loss  alone,  but  this  was  not  all. 
The  victorious  French  pressed  on  to  Vienna.  By  the  treaty 
of  Pressburg,  Austria  was  excluded  from  Germany;  Wuer- 


66 


temberg,  Bavaria  and  the  Rhinelands  went  over  to  the 
French,  Napoleon  setting  himself  up  as  Protector  of  the 
Rhine  country,  with  his  representative  President  Karl  von 
Dalberg,  former  archbishop  of  Mainz. 

•    •    • 

fl  Louise  was  high-spirited,  impulsive,  courageous,  imagina- 
tive— the  very  foil  of  her  slow-going  Frederick,  with  his 
church  restorations  forevermore.  The  Queen,  always  for 
an  aggressive  policy,  by  her  sympathy  encouraged  the  Prus- 
sian war  party;  patriots,  restive  under  the  indecision  of 
Frederick,  were  eager  to  shake  off  French  domination.  The 
appeal  was  to  Militarism,  but  what  would  you?  The  Hun 
was  not  only  "at  the  gate,"  but  was  inside  the  walls;  and  if 
a  man  will  not  fight  for  his  fireside,  then  he  must  remain  a 
slave.  It  was  a  virtuous  cause. 

II  The  cabal  at  the  Prussian  court,  secretly  in  opposition  to 
the  easy-going  King,  was  aided  by  Louise.     There  were  the 
King's  brothers,  the  ambitious  Hardenburg,  the  King's  cousin, 
Ferdinand,  the  gifted  Rahel  Levin — and  many  others. 
These  plots  within  the  palace  gave  to  Louise's  life  strange 
political  aspects. 
!f  The  Queen  desired  to  strike. 

fl  By  1805  Austria,  Russia  and  Great  Britain  were  united, 
but  Russia  still  wavered. 

fl  Louise's  secret  influence  became  a  watchword  for  Prussian 
patriots,  who  despised  French  rule. 

BUS 

fl After  Austerlitz,  Napoleon  read  Prussia  his  ultimatum: 
Shall  it  be  war  or  peace?  Peace  and  Hanover,  or  war  with 
me? 

fl  A  treaty  was  drawn  giving  to  Napoleon  control  over  Prus- 
sia; and  this  document  Fr:  William  weakly  signed.  After 
that  Napoleon  simply  ignored  Prussia;  made  it  so  hot  for 
Prussian  ministers  that  they  resigned  when  Paris  frowned, 
or  danced  when  Paris  smiled.  Napoleon  set  up  his  new 
Rhein  Confederation  without  consulting  Prussia;  and  Prus- 
sian patriots  felt  themselves  mortified  beyond  endurance. 
fl  Young  men  in  Berlin,  by  way  of  protest,  made  a  demon- 
stration. Going  to  the  doorsteps  of  the  French  minister, 


The    German    National   Problem  67 

they  there  sharpened  their  swords!  Napoleon  was  furious; 
he  sought  out  the  bookseller  circulating  an  anti-French 
pamphlet,  "The  Deepest  Humiliation  of  Prussia,"  lured  him 
across  the  frontier,  and  had  him  assassinated. 
^1  The  Prussian  patriotic  party,  begun  as  a  court  cabal  se- 
cretly headed  by  Louise,  decided  on  war. 
TI  The  troops  were  drilled  night  and  day  in  preparation  for 
the  great  war  of  liberation.  Never  before  had  a  downtrod- 
den nation  worked  harder  to  win  liberty  through  liberation 
from  the  French  yoke.  However,  the  immediate  results  were 
to  be  disastrous. 

fl  The  Queen's  dragoons  went  to  the  front;  the  Queen  rode 
near  by  in  her  carriage;   she  wore  a  smart  military  coat, 
colors  of  her  crack  regiment;  and  General  Kalkreuth,  in  a 
burst  of  enthusiasm,  vowed  that  the   Queen  could  herself 
win  the  war  should  she  remain  with  the  troops. 
II  Yes,  Louise  was   actually   going  out  to  fight  Napoleon's 
veterans,  Napoleon's  famous  marshals,  Berthier,  Murat  and 
the  others;  and  even  the  great  Napoleon  himself. 
The  decisive  struggle  took  place  at  Jena,  October  16,  1806; 
Prussian  forces  were  annihilated. 

II  Napoleon  came  on  to  Berlin  and  housed  himself  in  the 
Prussian  palace.  From  here  he  now  issued  bulletins  de- 
nouncing Louise  as  the  cause  of  the  war;  he  attacked  her 
character,  accusing:  her  of  a  liaison  with  the  handsome  Alex- 
ander of  Russia,  and  of  still  other  intrigues  with  high  army 
officers;  he  presented  her  as  a  compound  of  shameless  camp- 
follower  and  dangerous  woman,  plotting  against  her  own 
husband,  thus  bringing  ruin  to  her  native  land. 
Napoleon  even  had  Louise's  apartments  broken  into  and  the 
Queen's  papers  seized,  to  see  if  incriminating  evidence  could 
not  be  uncovered.  Ah,  he  knew  all  the  tricks  of  love  as  well 
as  of  war! 

a   H   H 

11  But  Napoleon  went  too  far.  His  cruel  persecution  caused 
Prussians  to  sympathize  with  their  Queen,  instead  of  revil- 
ing her. 


68  Blood   and   Iron 

18 

Years  before  the  great  question  is  settled  Prussia 
indeed  becomes  Germany — in  moody  thoughtful- 
ness  —  in  stubborn  determination — in  unflinching 
courage. 

JI  Louise  now  reveals  herself  a  glorious  National  heroine.  In 
spite  of  her  animosity  toward  Napoleon  for  his  atrocious 
slanders,  the  Queen  decided  to  arrange  an  interview  with 
the  conqueror  and  beg  favorable  terms  for  her  beloved 
Prussia. 

flThe  meeting  took  place  July  6,  1807.  Napoleon  sent  his 
coach,  drawn  by  six  white  horses,  to  bring  the  Queen  to 
the  miller's  house,  where  the  interview  was  staged  in  an 
upper  room.  Louise  had  on  her  finest  court  robe,  white  crepe 
embroidered  with  silver,  and  wore  her  famous  crown  of 
pearls;  her  loveliness  and  her  woman's  wit  were  to  be  used 
in  behalf  of  prostrate  Prussia. 

tf  Napoleon  rode  up  in  great  style,  surrounded  by  his  bril- 
liant staff — Berthier,  Murat  and  the  others.  Louise  awaited 
him  at  the  head  of  the  rickety  stairs.  As  he  went  up  in  the 
semi-darkness,  he  stumbled  and  fell. 

The  Queen  apologized  that  she  was  forced  to  meet  the  Em- 
peror in  so  mean  a  place;  but  he  immediately  replied  that 
to  see  so  lovely  a  woman  was  well  worth  a  few  minor  ob- 
stacles. 

H  Louise  now  began  pleading  with  Napoleon  for  leniency 
toward  Prussia.  What  an  interview  that  was! 
How  eloquently  she  set  forth  her  people's  sufferings  in  the 
great  French  wars;  she  pictured  the  sorrows  of  Prussia  so 
vividly  that  at  last  Napoleon  became  mightily  interested. 
Finally  he  said: 

fl  "Ah,  your  Majesty  asks  very  much  indeed,  but  I  am  dream- 
ing!" By  this  he  meant,  "I  do  not  hear  a  word  you  say;  I 
am  looking  at  your  beautiful  eyes." 

U  The  clever  Louise  saw  that  she  was  progressing  with  her 
arguments,  and  undoubtedly  had  the  Emperor  under  the 
spell  of  her  fatal  beauty;  to  oblige  a  grand  lady  in  distress, 


The    German    National   Problem  69 

he  would  be  willing  to  concede  much  indeed,  in  his  famous 
role  of  lady-killer  and  protector  of  feminine  loveliness. 
But  at  that  precise  moment,  who  should  enter  the  room  but 
Fr:  Wilhelm  himself,  the  Queen's  blundering  husband! 
IT  Always  in  the  way — mentally  clumsy — he   spoiled  every- 
thing!    The  interview  ended  abruptly. 

H  Louise,  heartbroken,  retired  in  utter  despair.  She  had  be- 
lieved that  the  justice  of  her  cause,  her  eloquence,  her  loyalty 
to  her  people  would  go  far  to  soften  Napoleon's  wrath,  but 
in  all  this  she  was  cruelly  disappointed.  Next  day  the  French 
tyrant  announced  his  terms:  Indemnity  of  154,000,000  marks; 
one-third  cash;  one-third  payable  in  lands;  the  final  third 
"on  time,"  in  the  interim  he  would  garrison  in  five  fortified 
towns  30,000  French  troops  and  10,000  French  cavalry, 
whose  support  was  at  the  expense  of  Prussia,  till  the  debt 
was  paid. 

11  This  great  Queen,  after  life's  fever,  sleeps  enshrined  in 
her  snowy  marble  tomb  at  Charlottenburg. 
One  day  you  will  stand  with  uncovered  head  beside  her  royal 
grave,  and  recall  her  noble  life.     She  deserves  well  of  her 
country! 

H     H     H 

fl  But  mark  this  well :  out  of  Prussia's  humiliations  came 
her  ultimate  strength;  the  vanquished,  as  is  often  the  story 
of  human  life,  was  strengthened  more  than  the  victors'. 
Prussia,  chastened  by  her  severe  lessons,  henceforth  pro- 
ceeded to  build  herself  up  slowly  till  at  last  she  was  ready, 
many,  many  years  later,  to  strike  for  German  Unity  that 
final  blow  at  the  palace  of  the  French  kings  at  Versailles. 
fl  In  the  wearisome  stretch  of  time  till  that  distant  day  of 
German  glory,  Prussia  henceforth  becomes  Germany — in 
spirit — in  moody  thoughtfulness — in  stubborn  determination 
— yes,  under  God,  by  blood  and  iron!  There  float  before  us 
many  noble  names,  poets,  prophets,  soldiers  who  aid  in 
stimulating  "German  national  faith" — Fichte,  Arndt,  Kleist, 
Roon,  Moltke,  Scharnhorst,  Humboldt — and  in  the  historical 
twilight  big  with  mutterings  and  rumblings  of  the  New 
Time  to  come  with  all  its  glory,  taking  the  place  of  the 


7o  Blood   and    Iron 

Prussian  ruin  between  1806  and  1813,  is  Queen  Louise,  her 
gentle  spirit  a  veritable  evening-star,  luminous  with  hope. 

•    •    • 

UBy  1813,  Fr:  William  III  had  been  induced  by  the  pressure 
of  public  opinion  to  join  Russia  to  fight  off  the  French.  May 
17,  1813,  William's  famous  decree,  "To  My  People!"  called 
for  help  to  expel  invaders,  thereby  to  recover  Prussian  inde- 
pendence; and  Napoleon  was  totally  defeated  in  the  tremen- 
dous battle  of  Leipzig,  October  16-19,  or  "Battle  of  the  Na- 
tions," as  the  Germans  call  Prussia's  return  to  power  and 
glory. 

11  It  was  this  patriotic  appeal  "To  My  People,"  that  made 
William's  troubles;  the  Prussian  Liberals  felt  that  the  Gov- 
ernment owed  the  people  a  Liberal  political  Constitution,  in 
return  for  Leipzig. 

HHis  Majesty  grabbed  on  it,  twice,  and  was  at  his  wit's  end 
to  know  how  to  keep  his  crown  and  his  declaration  of  friend- 
ship for  the  people. 

In  the  meantime,  twenty-three  minor  German  states  having 
adopted  constitutions,  more  or  less  liberal,  the  growing  de- 
mands of  the  common  people  for  a  share  in  Prussian  gov- 
ernment could  be  no  longer  denied. 


19 

Kingcraft  comes  upon  evil  days — in  the  rising  tide 
of  liberal  ideas,  monarchies  of  old  are  all  but  swept 
away. 

ff  When  the  Napoleonic  dynasty  collapsed,  after  Waterloo, 
there  were  39  petty  principalities  in  the  German-speaking 
area  grouped  about  Rhein,  the  Main,  Neckar,  Elbe;  these 
knights'  holdings,  ecclesiastical  strongholds,  and  domains  of 
various  descriptions  became  merged  by  cross-fighting 
throughout  the  Napoleonic  era. 

HThe  Congress  of  Vienna  (1815)  deeming  it  advisable  to 
set  up  a  loose  confederacy  of  the  multitude  of  petty  powers, 
founded  a  German  Confederation,  but  whether  it  was  geo- 
graphical, racial  or  political  no  human  being  could  say. 


The    German    National   Problem  71 

The  local  German  princes  kept  full  sovereign  powers,  but 
gradually,  as  a  matter  of  expediency,  the  various  states 
grouped  themselves  around  Prussia  and  Austria.  As  for  the 
Nation,  there  was  no  German  sovereign,  no  supreme  court, 
no  commercial  or  political  relationship  worthy  of  the  name. 
Instead,  on  every  hand  was  intense  local  hatred,  aloofness 
and  suspicion.  This  condition  continued  for  very  many  years. 
1J  The  plain  fact  was  that  the  various  princes  did  not  want 
German  National  unity;  for  the  reason  that  it  is  not  human 
nature  for  men  to  give  up  an  advantage  for  an  uncertainty. 
Also,  at  this  time,  neither  Prussia  nor  Austria  was  strong 
enough  to  impose  her  hegemony  upon  Germany.  Austria's 
policy  was  for  delay;  and  in  Prussia  the  general  belief  ex- 
isted for  many  years  that  Austrian  domination  was  really 
essential  to  put  down  the  rising  spirit  of  Democracy. 
ff  The  authority  of  the  Congress  set  up  a  Bond  of  Confedera- 
tion, ruled  by  a  Diet  or  Bundestag,  sitting  at  Frankfort-on- 
the-Main. 

fi  In  the  hurly-burly,  certain  centres,  such  as  Saxony,  Bava- 
ria and  Wuertemberg,  were  raised  in  rank  from  duchies  to 
kingdoms,  while  still  others,  such  as  Westphalia,  Grand 
Duchy  of  Warsaw,  were  dissolved.  The  free  cities  were  re- 
duced to  four;  caste  declined  in  political  importance.  The 
Confederation  of  the  Rhine  was  set  aside. 
Thus  the  close  of  the  Napoleonic  period  found  German  terri- 
tory without  political  unity. 

M     Si     H 

fl  The  last  stand  of  kingly  ultra-conservatism  is  the  one 
great  political  feature  of  Europe,  from  the  downfall  of  Na- 
poleon, 1815,  to  the  popular  outbreaks  of  1848.  During  this 
dark  period  the  cause  of  constitutional  liberty  in  Prussia 
made  little  progress.  Old  forms  as  well  as  new  were  under 
suspicion.  On  the  one  side  were  ultra-conservative  concep- 
tions of  Divine-right,  upheld  by  Metternich,  and  on  the 
other  side  was  the  idea  that  sovereignty  came  not  from 
heaven  but  from  earth,  making  the  will  of  the  people  the 
voice  of  God. 
fl  Prussia  and  Austria,  as  the  representatives  of  Divine-right, 


72  Blood   and   Iron 

closely  watched  these  revolutionary  tendencies,  suppressed 
uprisings,  muzzled  the  press,  in  an  attempt  to  check  the 
surging  tide  of  liberalism. 

However  much  the  kings  had  feared  the  wars  of  Napoleon, 
kingcraft  was  now  confronted  by  an  enemy  more  deadly. 
The  babble  of  the  bondsmen  about  to  break  their  chains 
portended  far  greater  disaster  to  dynasties  than  ever  did  bul- 
lets on  the  battlefield  of  Waterloo. 
HSU 

1T  With  might  and  main,  the  monarchs,  resisting  the  demands 
of  the  people  for  constitutional  government,  stamped  out 
everything  that  looked  like  the  first  signs  of  National  senti- 
ment. 

II  Nor  was  Germany  alone  in  this  reactionary  attitude.  The 
kingly  side  of  all  Europe  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  against 
new  political  experiments. 

In  Italy,  Greece,  Spain,  sovereigns  applied  the  lash  the 
harder,  in  an  endeavor  to  suppress  this  new  evil  against 
kingcraft;  nevertheless,  among  the  common  people  there  con- 
tinued to  grow  consciousness  of  political  rights, 
fi  "Napoleon  in  many  of  the  lands  he  conquered,"  says  Ff yfe, 
"set  up  many  revolutionary  ideas  that  sounded  the  death 
knell  of  the  Feudal  system.  It  was  part  of  his  administra- 
tive genius  to  take  the  lands  from  barons  and  their  class, 
and  turn  them  over  to  peasants;  it  happened  in  France  with 
the  lands  of  the  ecclesiastical  barons  of  the  church;  it  hap- 
pened in  North  Germany,  in  1810,  when  the  decree  of  admin- 
istrative following  the  annexation  of  the  North  German 
Coast  swept  away  with  a  few  strokes  of  the  pen,  thirty-six 
forms  of  Feudal  privileges." 

fl  And  these  could  never  be  restored,  even  after  the  Congress 
of  Vienna  spent  seven  or  eight  months,  after  Waterloo,  divid- 
ing the  loot  among  the  old  royal  houses. 
11  The  system  of  monarchical  Absolutism  maintained  itself  in 
one  way  or  another  for  years,  but  the  old-line  conception  of 
the  political  legitimacy  of  despotic  rulers  had  been  rudely 
shattered, 
flln  spite  of  a  brave  show  of  gold  cloth,  diamonds,  laces, 


The    German    National   Problem  73 

jewels,  swords,  silk  stockings,  lackeys,  grooms,  guards  and 
crowns,  kingcraft  was  now  placed  on  the  defensive.  The 
cry  of  the  people,  "Liberty!"  filled  many  a  market-place. 
fl  Forces  of  democracy  were  working  everywhere,  ill-directed 
to  be  sure,  but  never  despairing  of  ultimate  victory  over 
kingcraft,  which  indeed  had  now  come  upon  evil  days.  It  is 
an  undeniable  fact  that  Bonaparte  had  purged  the  political 
ideas  of  French  Revolution  of  many  excesses,  and  had  turned 
to  practical  account  certain  forms  of  liberty,  for  example, 
ridding  captured  lands,  as  Ffyfe  tells  us,  of  offensive  special 
privileges,  on  part  of  irresponsible  rulers  of  petty  degree; 
but  the  danger  was  found  in  this:  that  a  mere  "desire"  for 
political  expediency,  however  surrounded  by  the  halo  of 
popular  rights,  avails  nothing  unless  ultimately  sustained 
by  strong  central  authority;  and  it  requires  no  profound 
knowledge  of  men's  way  to  know  that  at  no  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world  has  collective  rulership  been  other  than  a 
theory.  The  excesses  of  the  French  Revolution  were  not 
readily  overlooked  by  the  conservative  elements  in  Germany. 


20 
German  hope  of  National  Union  gleams  like  a  star. 

U  There  gradually  grew  throughout  Germany  a  spirit  of  in- 
tense longing  for  country,  and  many  a  noble  spirit  had  in 
a  vision  seen  from  afar  the  common  Fatherland.  Especially 
in  the  universities,  the  feeling  was  strong. 
The  German  universities  were  hotbeds  of  political  excite- 
ment. For  many  years  after  Napoleon's  downfall  all  man- 
ner of  theories  of  government  were  strenuously  debated, 
to  the  accompaniment  of  duels,  beer-drinking,  private  feuds, 
and  popular  agitation,  often  ending  in  blood.  The  Burschen- 
schaft,  as  the  student  brothers  were  called,  finally  formed 
themselves  into  a  league  comprising  sixty  schools;  and  held 
a  famous  meeting  at  Wartburg,  1817. 

fi  The  patriots  took  Holy  Communion,  made  impassioned 
speeches,  built  bonfires  and  cast  into  the  flames  hated  books 
supporting  Metternich's  system  of  kingcraft.  Also  the  pa- 


74  Blood   and    Iron 

triots  consigned  to  the  fire  an  illiberal  pamphlet  by  King 
Fr:  Wilhelm  III  of  Prussia. 

fl  Metternich  became  alarmed.  Kotzebue,  hated  as  a  spy  of 
Russia  in  Germany,  was  stabbed  to  the  heart  by  Karl  Sand. 
This  gave  to  Metternich  the  desired  opportunity,  and  he 
proceeded  forthwith  to  impress  on  Fr:  Wilhelm  and  the  Czar 
the  absurdity  of  toying  longer  with  "Democratic  ideas  and 
paper  constitutions." 

Then  and  there  the  Biblical  phrases  of  democrat-mongering 
kings,  under  the  Holy  Alliance,  ceased  in  the  high  courts 
of  Russia  and  Prussia.  Metternich  got  hold  of  Fr:  Wilhelm, 
also  the  other  political  tools  of  the  Frankfort  Diet,  and  at 
Carlsbad  decrees  were  issued  sounding  the  doom  of  Liberal- 
ism and  the  return  to  power  of  the  old-line  kings. 
By  gag-law  and  intimidation  Metternich  rushed  the  decrees 
through  the  Diet; — and  for  a  generation  "Carlsbad"  signi- 
fied the  suppression  of  Democratic  sentiments  throughout 
Germany. 

fl  Metternich  fought  free  speech,  free  parliaments  and  a 
free  press.  His  iron  laws  were  aimed  to  stifle  democratic 
mutterings.  Austrian  spies  were  everywhere,  searching  out 
revolutionary  societies. 

fl  The  hope  that  Prussia  might  be  the  leader  in  the  new 
German  spirit  of  nationality  now  vanished.  William  III 
definitely  withdrew  his  promise  of  a  written  Constitution, 
made  in  1813,  and  reiterated  in  1815. 

Persecutions  continued  north  and  south;  Prussia  hounded 
Jahn  for  five  long  years,  this  Jahn  whose  gymnastic  soci- 
eties had  been  so  helpful  in  hardening  young  men  to  Prus- 
sian army  services;  and  the  poet  Arndt,  whose  impassioned 
verse  intensified  the  National  spirit  of  Germany,  was  shame- 
fully treated,  his  papers  scattered  and  the  man  driven  from 
his  university. 

fl  For  many  a  long  year  the  gloomy  spirit  of  "Carlsbad"  de- 
crees hung  over  Germany. 

@     B     8 

fl  However,  the  Germans  have  an  intensely  practical  side  as 
well  as  a  dreamy  poetical  side.  It  is  not  surprising,  there- 


The    German    National   Problem  75 

fore,  that  the  earliest  steps  in  the  direction  of  German  unity 
(1818)  came  through  Prussian  customs  house  reforms  under 
the  patriot,  Maassen. 

ff  There  had  been,  as  we  explained  heretofore,  no  freedom  of 
trade  throughout  Germany;  each  of  the  petty  thirty-nine 
states  was  surrounded  by  Chinese  walls;  for  example,  to 
send  goods  from  Hamburg  to  Vienna,  the  shipper  had  to  pay 
ten  separate  tolls. 

TJ  Under  the  old  Prussian  system  there  were  in  vogue  at  one 
and  the  same  time  no  less  than  sixty-seven  conflicting  tariff 
systems.  All  this  tax  oppression  meant  a  harvest  for  smug- 
glers. But  Maassen,  at  a  stroke,  established  a  common  tariff 
in  Prussia;  made  the  tax  so  low  that  smuggling  became  un- 
profitable. The  other  states  protested  vehemently  at  first, 
but  one  by  one  entered  this  new  customs  union. 
If  And  we  may  understand  now  certain  sarcastic  remarks 
sometimes  made  about  Germany  by  her  historical  enemies: 
"Paper,  cheese,  sauerkraut,  ham,  and  matches,  served  to 
unite  German  hearts  more  than  political  ties!" 
JI  This  slur  is  ill-deserved;  at  best,  it  simply  means  that  the 
advantages  of  the  "Zollverein"  were  economic  as  well  as 
political;  and,  in  later  years,  the  necessity  for  a  common 
system  of  doing  business  played  a  deservedly  important  part 
in  helping  along  Bismarck's  plans. 

ff  The  customs  league,  called  the  "Zollverein,"  is  generally 
held  to  be  the  very  beginning  of  practical  unity  for  Germany. 

•  '•    • 

fl  On  the  poetical  side  of  German  character,  earliest  appeals 
for  the  Fatherland — one  and  united! — were  expressed  down 
through  the  years;  long  indeed  before  actual  political  union 
was  possible,  Germany's  bards,  in  their  impassioned,  semi- 
religious  songs  awakened  in  German  hearts  the  spirit  of  in- 
tense longing  for  the  common  Fatherland,  based  on  blood- 
brotherhood  and  language. 

fl  One  of  the  famous  types  of  this  patriot-poet  was  Arndt, 
son  of  an  emancipated  slave.  Arndt  was  a  noble  democrat; 
his  history  of  slavery  in  Pomerania  inspired  Adolphus  to 
abolish  that  evil,  1806;  the  Prussian  aristocrats  held  Arndt  a 
life-long  grudge. 


76  Blood   and   Iron 

"Spirit  of  the  Times,"  his  patriotic  trumpet-call  aroused 
Prussians  to  fight  France.  Napoleon  tracked  the  lyric  poet 
out;  Arndt  fled  to  Sweden;  but  continued  to  write  for  the 
cause.  He  returned  to  Germany,  1809. 

£  "Was  ist  des  Deutschen  Vaterland?"  remains  one  of  the 
great  semi-religious  songs  of  nations.  Arndt  asks  what 
comprises  the  Fatherland?  Surely  not  Prussia,  not  Swabia, 
nor  this  nor  that,  but  all  side  by  side  comprise  the  German 
brotherhood  of  race  and  language. 

Where  is  the  German  Fatherland? 

Is't  Swabia?     Is't  Prussia's  land? 

Is't  where  the  grape  glows  on  the  Rhine, 

Where  sea-gulls  skim  the  Baltic's  brine  ? 

Oh,  no!  more  great,  more  grand 

Must  be  the  German  Fatherland! 

H  Here  is  a  spirited  verse  from  "The  God  That  Lets  the  Iron 
Grow": 

The  God  who  made  earth's  iron  hoard 

Scorned  to  create  a  slave 

Hence,  unto  man  the  spear  and  sword 

In  his  right  hand  he  gave! 

Hence  him  with  courage  he  imbued 

Lent  wrath  to  Freedom's  voice — 

That  death  or  victory  in  the  feud 

Might  be  his  only  choice! 

fl  "Der   Gott,   der   Eisen   wachsen   liess,"   "Was   blasen   die 

Trompeten,"  were  on  all  patriotic  lips;  at  this,  William  III, 

mightily  offended,  had  Arndt  arrested  and   sent   him  into 

retirement  for  twenty  years. 

fiThe  old  man  lived  to  become  a  great  National  hero.     He 

died  January  29,  1860,  aged  91.    It  is  pleasant  to  record  that 

on  his  ninetieth  birthday  Germany  united  in  good  wishes 

for  their  national  poet  of  the  dark  hours. 

The  people  built  him  a  monument  at  the  place  of  his  birth, 

Schoritz,  and  another  at  Bonn,  where  for  many  years  he 

had  been  professor  of  history. 


The    German   National   Problem  77 

21 

It  is  not  time,  O  William,  to  go  to  church  but  to 
go  to  war;  yet  you  and  your  son  keep  on  reading 
your  Gothic  Bible. 

UNow  comes  the  year  1840;  William  III  goes  to  the  tomb 
of  his  ancestors,  and  is  succeeded  by  Fr:  William  IV,  with 
whom  began  anew  the  long  battle  between  the  principle  of 
Divine-right  of  kings  and  political  democracy  exercised  by 
the  masses.  William  IV,  intensely  addicted  to  Divine-right 
theories  of  government,  was  in  the  course  of  a  turbulent  reign 
forced  to  face  great  political  agitators.  However,  the  King 
had  behind  his  throne,  always,  that  conservative  class  (found 
in  every  country)  that  clings  tenaciously  to  the  past  and 
dreads  the  future.  The  watchword  of  all  William's  enemies 
was  "Liberty!"  The  cry,  visionary  as  it  was,  served  as  a 
rallying  point  for  those  who  favored  some  form  of  French 
constitutionalism;  and  while,  as  a  whole,  the  so-called  friends 
of  Liberty  were  very  impracticable,  had  no  definite  plan  for 
relief,  we  find  among  the  political  agitators  foremost  in  their 
discontent  many  of  the  brightest  minds  in  Germany,  college 
graduates,  professional  men,  the  clergy,  and  solid  middle 
class  merchants.  All  were  zealous  for  immediate  political 
reforms. 

HSU 

ff  Consider  the  position  of  our  Fr:  William  IV.  He  was  a 
peculiar  man,  to  begin  with — and  an  irresolute  man,  to  end 
with.  He  was  not  built  for  times  of  war.  Yet  he  had  to  face 
cannon! 

Early  in  life,  in  impressionable  years,  through  a  court  blun- 
der, young  William  had  had  a  tutor,  Delbrueck,  who  poisoned 
his  charge's  mind  against  the  Prussian  military  and  bureau- 
cratic system. 

The  attitude  of  Delbrueck  was  certainly  heresy  as  vile  as 
though  your  own  child's  nurse  should  bring  your  boy  up  to 
fear  and  despise  his  own  father.  Surely,  you  would  not  like 
that? 

fi  Delbrueck  was  quickly  given  the  sack;  and  it  was  well  that 
he  got  off  without  a  broken  head! 


78  Blood   and   Iron 

He  was  succeeded  by  a  preacher,  Ancillon,  of  renown  in 
church  affairs.  This  Ancillon  started  young  William  off  on 
another  track;  antiques,  church  history,  Bible  study,  archi- 
tecture, the  brotherhood  of  man,  and  the  fatherhood  of  God. 
11  Then  William  studied  art  under  Rausen,  and  under  Schin- 
kel;  and  also  the  future  king  became  absorbed  in  landscape 
gardening  and  in  architecture. 

11  William  was  presumed  to  be  "liberal"  in  his  views,  that  is 
to  say,  he  was,  in  a  sense,  supposed  to  be  a  "democrat." 
fl  Of  course,  the  Radicals  at  this  hour  knew  nothing  of  Bis- 
marck, who  was  to  be  the  power  behind  the  throne.  They 
saw  instead  only  a  weak  king;  and  history  tells  over  and 
over  again,  down  through  time,  what  becomes  of  weak  kings 
when  the  people  are  throwing  up  barricades  in  the  streets 
and  are  tossing  up  their  caps  and  crying  "Liberty!" 

•    •    • 

U  Under  his  royal  nose  the  Liberals  kept  sticking  his  father's 
pledge  of  the  glorious  year,  1813.  How  about  that  long- 
promised  Constitution,  your  Majesty?  Thousands  of  deluded 
Prussians  now  believed  that  they  could  accurately  define 
the  peculiar  word  "Liberty!"  It  looked  as  though  the  people 
were  bent  on  casting  out  a  king.  As  yet  there  were  in  Prus- 
sia no  organized  party  lines;  the  general  situation  was 
summed  up  in  the  growing  hopes  that  the  common  people 
placed  in  French  constitutionalism — wherever  that  might 
lead. 
U  At  any  rate,  the  old  regime  must  go. 


22 

Bad  business,  this  promising  a  written  Constitution 
— The  deluge  breaks. 

fl  The  Prussian  nobility,  always  bound  to  the  King  by  feel- 
ings of  ardent  loyalty,  formed  a  military  caste;  the  peasan- 
try was  industrious,  thrifty  and  hard-working;  the  State  offi- 
cials were  devoted  to  a  spirit  of  discipline  at  once  thorough 
and  pedantic;  the  Prussian  school-system  was  first  in  square- 
headed  masters,  who  ruled  with  rods  of  iron.  Thus,  the  Prus- 


The    German   National   Problem  79 

sian  National  ideal  was  based  on  Discipline  military  in  its 
severity,  self-sacrifice  and  energy.  "Throughout  Prussia  was 
a  spirit  of  affirmation,  expressive  of  the  vigorous  National 
egotism.  As  time  passed,  the  machine  men  of  olden  Prussia 
were  gradually  replaced  by  free-willed,  self-conscious  citi- 
zens taking  an  enlightened  interest  in  their  country;  the  old- 
time  tutelage  headed  by  the  monarchs  underwent  a  trans- 
formation; and  the  trend  was  toward  enlightened  self-gov- 
ernment; but  many  years  were  to  pass  before  this  ideal  was 
reached." 

JI  William  did  indeed  cherish,  in  a  way,  an  idea  of  German 
Unity,  and  in  this  respect  he  was  a  democrat  or  a  radical, 
whatever  you  wish  to  term  him.  Here,  we  must  make  one 
fact  plain.  It  will  make  you  smile  at  William's  simplicity, 
will  show  you  how  utterly  he  was  out  of  touch  with  the 
tendencies  of  the  times;  how  good-natured  he  was;  how  hon- 
est he  was.  He  believed  that  German  Unity,  if  ever  it  came, 
should  historically  be  an  extension  of  the  old  Holy  Roman 
Empire,  through  the  illustrious  House  of  Hapsburg! 
Which  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  your  own  family  should 
advance  by  humbling  itself  before  your  own  greatest  rival; 
that  you  should  bow  to  your  political  enemy  and  submit  to 
being  effaced,  to  heighten  your  rival's  glory. 
Strauss  calls  William  "A  romanticist  on  the  throne  of  the 
Caesars!"  This  Fr:  William  IV  wished  to  be  an  absolute 
monarch,  after  the  traditional  Hohenzollern  style,  yet  he  had 
so  few  soldierly  instincts  that  the  army  hated  him. 
IT  This  political  attitude  with  William  was  not  a  form  of  ro- 
mantic idealism  bordering  on  lunacy;  it  was  instead  a  token 
of  his  blundering  stupidity;  also  in  a  sense  his  four-square 
frankness  in  owning  that  Prussia  was  playing  second  fiddle 
to  Austria,  at  this  interesting  moment.  And,  in  truth,  all  that 
William  thought  was  logical;  the  stream  was  tending  that 
way;  few  denied  it,  except  politicians  interested  in  advanc- 
ing their  own  fortunes  by  setting  Austria  back  in  the  great 
game  of  grab.  However,  William,  instead  of  loading  cannon 
and  turning  them  on  the  Radicals,  now  swarming  around  his 
palace,  was  much  pleased  to  send  a  bishop  to  Jerusalem. 
Tf  Nicholas  of  Russia  warned  William  to  beware  of  demo- 


8o  Blood   and   Iron 

crats,  and  to  stand  up  for  Divine-right  of  kings,  but  what 
is  the  use  of  advising  a  coward  to  be  a  hero,  a  fool  to  be  a 
wise  man  ?  In  the  end,  a  man  must  go  through  life  with  the 
sort  of  head  he  has — round,  square,  flat,  or  mushy — is  it  not 
true?  You  are  no  exception,  yourself;  and  our  church-build- 
ing William,  in  turn,  was  true  to  his  own  aesthetic  nature, 
regardless  of  bayonets  poked  under  his  nose. 
fl  Bad  business  this  promising  the  people  a  written  Consti- 
tution; ominous  for  the  breed  of  kings;  a  situation,  in  short, 
not  unlike  that  forced  on  the  Grand  Monarch  at  an  earlier 
day,  that  is  to  say,  no  money  without  the  States'  General, 
fl  After  1840,  Liberal  opinions  were  directed  against  the 
King,  personally,  charging  him  with  political  reactionary  ten- 
dencies. The  course  of  popular  liberty  was  taken  by  noted 
men,  among  them  Arnold  Huge,  Karl  Marx,  Feuerbach, 
Strauss,  Bauer,  Fallersleben,  Dingelstedt,  Meissner,  Beck, 
Kinkel,  and  others.  Also,  when  Ischech  attempted  to  as- 
sassinate William  IV,  the  dastardly  act  found  supporters  who 
gloried  in  the  "patriot's"  effort  to  rid  the  country  of  a 
"tyrant,"  even  through  cold-blooded  murder. 
fl  Also,  the  very  memory  of  the  frightful  excesses  of  the 
French  Revolution  still  shocked  the  conservative  political  ele- 
ment of  Europe.  The  land-owning  classes  of  Prussia,  backed 
by  the  Prussian  army,  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  for  their 
old  titles.  The  new  call  of  political  liberalism  was,  therefore, 
in  the  view  of  Prussian  conservatives,  to  be  put  down  at  all 
hazards.  The  position  was,  of  course,  largely  selfish,  but  it 
was  very  human. 

m   H   M 

fl  Matters  came  to  a  crisis  in  '47;  King  William  IV  needed 
money  for  a  little  railroad  project  in  East  Prussia.  In  his 
dilemma,  he  called  his  Baby  Parliament,  or  Diet,  April  11, 
1847,  and  "deigned"  to  permit  therein  the  right  of  petition; 
there  were  in  truth  no  privileges  of  political  significance,  no 
real  powers;  it  was  a  side-show,  so  far  as  the  "people"  were 
concerned — and  for  eleven  weeks  volleys  of  oratory  crackled 
and  thundered. 


The    German   National   Problem  81 

TCHere,  we  meet  Bismarck  face  to  face;  and  you  should  now 
be  prepared,  from  what  you  have  read,  to  understand  the  gi- 
gantic problem  Bismarck  was  called  upon  to  face — single- 
handed! 

fl  Furthermore,  Bismarck's  attitude  was  not,  as  has  often 
been  recorded,  a  case  of  "might  is  right."  The  French  Revo- 
lution had  proven  conclusively  that  there  can  be  no  political 
"right"  without  a  political  "might."  We  should  not  forget 
this  fact  throughout  the  Bismarck  story  of  Prussia's  rise 
to  power. 


BOOK  THE  THIRD 
Bismarck  Supports  His  King 

CHAPTER  VII 


23 

The  voice  in  the  Wilderness  proclaims  the  God-  given 
glory  of  Kings,  vicegerents  of  Christ  on  this  earth. 

IJThe  French  Revolution  brought  to  Paris  adventurers  and 

patriots  from  every  part  of  Europe.     Among  these  was  a 

young  Corsican  who,  with  his  mother  and  sisters,  had  been 

driven  out  of  his  native  island.    This  man,  Napoleon  Bona- 

parte, was  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  to  become  Emperor 

of  France  and  Master  of  Europe. 

fl  There  is  a  classical  picture  of  young  Napoleon,  at  the  time 

of  the  early  riots  in  Paris. 

Standing  on  a  curbstone,  to  one  side,  he  watches  the  pass- 

ing of  liberty-crazed  mobs,  armed  with  pikes  —  the  self  -same 

common  people  on  whose  shoulders  Napoleon  himself  was 

later  to  ride  into  amazing  power. 

1J  Thus,  likewise,  in  another  time  of  political  crisis,  (1847-48) 

men  were  flocking  to  Berlin  to  debate  anew  the  well-worn 

theme,  "The  Rights  of  Man." 

Quietly  looking  on  was  another  man  of  destiny,  Otto  von 

Bismarck,  burly  dyke-captain  of  the  Elbe,  up  to  that  time 

a  farmer  on  his  ancestral  estates  in  Pomerania.    What  this 

young  blond  giant  saw  before  him  was  somewhat  of  this 

extraordinary  order: 

fi  The  universal  theme  was  once  more  "Liberty,"  and  the  din 

not  only  in  Berlin  but  throughout  German  states,  was  ear- 

splitting.    Of  course,  there  were  patriots  who  stood  on  broad 

National  grounds,  but  the  purely  personal  point  of  view  was 

still  very  much  in  evidence. 

(83) 


84  Blood   and   Iron 

Every  man  had  his  say,  often  accompanied  by  brandishing 
of  fists  or  the  laying  on  of  canes;  all  dignified  by  the  name 
"patriotism,"  but  in  truth  it  exhibited  the  old  struggle  of 
human  nature  for  supremacy. 

The  masses  were  fighting  to  unseat  kings,  whose  dogma  of 
"Divine-right"  had  by  the  French  Revolution  been  shown  to 
be  only  insidious  political  quackery,  in  the  past  sustained 
largely  by  the  sword.  The  common  people  were  wrestling 
to  grasp  this  monarchic  sword  away,  and  here  and  there 
had  already  seized  the  hilt  or  the  blade — it  mattered  not 
which! — and  the  dynasties  of  Hohenzollern,  Hapsburg,  Wit- 
telsbach,  and  all  the  lesser  swarm,  were  suddenly  put  on  the 
defensive.  Hotly  pursued  sovereigns  kept  their  heads  only 
by  some  concession  to  popular  fury;  again,  by  flight.  The 
people  were  intoxicated  with  the  wine  of  their  newly  found 
power! 

If  And  what  would  they  do  with  their  new  bauble,  liberty, 
fraternity  and  equality?  The  centre  of  the  stage  was  occu- 
pied by  a  struggling  mass  of  kings,  fighting  not  only  for 
their  crowns  but  for  the  very  clothes  on  their  backs!  There 
were  poets  in  fine  frenzy  declaiming;  grenadiers  firing 
muzzle-loaders;  priests  invoking  the  wrath  of  God;  kinp:s 
shouting  out  that  they  were  the  only  accredited  earthly 
representatives  of  Heaven;  historians  hotly  insisting  that  all 
were  in  error,  and  that  the  scroll  showed  this  or  that;  law- 
givers pleading  for  the  old  forms;  lunatics  laughing  in  de- 
moniacal glee;  peasants  armed  with  pitchforks  jabbing  right 
and  left;  demagogues  calling  on  Heaven  to  witness  their  lofty 
and  disinterested  leadership;  while  around  the  edges  of  the 
scene  mountebanks,  camp-followers,  renegades,  whores  and 
political  blacklegs,  were  waiting  for  their  share  of  the 
plunder,  let  victory  fall  where  it  may. 

fl  What  a  magnificent  scramble  for  place,  pelf  and  power!  It 
were  blasphemy  to  call  this  riot  the  desire  for  progress  for 
the  masses.  It  were  equal  blasphemy  to  call  it  stupidity  and 
reaction,  on  the  part  of  the  contending  monarchs,  as  against 
crushing  with  iron  heel  the  hopes  of  the  people  for  political 
and  intellectual  life.  Either  one  of  these  diagonally  opposed 


Bismarck    Supports   His    King  85 

interpretations  of  the  time  is  too  extreme.  The  truth  is  in 
neither  view.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  behind  the  seething  mass 
of  human  forms  was  the  age-old  motive  of  human  selfish- 
ness; and  while  here  and  there  some  lofty  soul  may  have 
glimpsed  in  his  fervid  imagination  a  United  Germany,  based 
on  a  "German  national  faith,"  in  which  the  rights  of  each 
citizen  should  be  no  more  or  no  less  than  the  rights  of  all 
others,  with  each  man  working  for  all  men  and  all  men  for 
each  man,  this  poetical  idea  was  only  another  evidence  of 
how  the  noblest  minds  place  the  illusion  and  the  dream  be- 
fore the  appalling  fact  of  human  selfishness  in  the  universal 
struggle  for  personal  aggrandizement. 

fl  The  merging  of  the  various  German  states,  or  the  trans- 
ference of  land  from  one  German  monarch  to  another,  in  the 
ensuing  political  struggle  for  power,  is,  after  all,  as  nothing 
compared  with  the  change  in  ideas,  now  close  at  hand;  what 
may  be  called  the  "mind"  of  Germany  was  about  to  undergo 
a  veritable  French  Revolution!  However,  it  was  not  to  be 
a  French  Revolution  in  the  sense  of  mob-rule.  We  shall 
make  this  clear  as  we  come  more  especially  to  tell  you,  in 
details,  of  a  certain  political  millennium  which  Bismarck 
scorned,  although  courageously  pressed  upon  him  by  leaders 
of  the  party  of  the  people. 

fi  On  the  whole,  however,  the  drift  of  events  was  toward 
"German  national  faith,"  bringing  in  turn  some  form  of 
representative  government,  as  against  the  doctrine  of  Divine- 
right  of  kings.  The  monarchs  were  placed  more  and  more 
on  the  defensive;  it  was  to  be  their  last  stand,  not  only  for 
their  crowns  but  for  their  very  lives! 

H   m   M 

II  And  now  face  to  face  with  the  gigantic  problem  of  a 
United  Germany,  again  we  study  our  last  hope  of  kings — 
our  Prussian  Strafford  von  Bismarck.  In  some  respects  he 
is  the  historical  foil  of  Strafford  of  Charles  I,  whose  money- 
needs  compelled  the  calling  of  the  Long  Parliament;  and  the 
help  Strafford  had  given  to  the  king  in  ruling  without  a  par- 
liament had  mortally  offended  the  Commons;  Strafford  was 


86  Blood    and   Iron 

declared  guilty  of  high  treason — and  despite  Charles'  efforts, 
Straff ord  went  to  the  block! 

fl  Will  Bismarck  come  to  a  similar  end  on  the  scaffold  of  the 
Prussian  liberals? 

•  •    • 

U  We  see  before  us  a  giant  in  form  and  in  mental  strength; 
a  monster  of  will-power,  with  the  iron  ambition  to  compel 
men  to  do  his  individual  bidding;  a  political  superman. 
17  He  had  spent  his  time  more  with  cattle,  horses  and  dogs 
than  he  had  with  men. 

U  His  spirit  wag  high,  untrammelled,  rebellious.  He  ironically 
despised  the  common  people;  the  burden-bearerg  in  all  forms 
of  government  were  in  this  giant's  opinion  not  good  enough 
to  sit  beside  kings. 

11  Morose,  obstinate,  self-opinionated,  with  an  enormous  ca- 
pacity for  liquor,  Bismarck  was  an  intellectual  as  well  as 
physical  glutton. 

IT  Most  of  all,  this  gtrange  man,  half -beast,  half-seer,  was  to 
turn  out  to  be  the  very  voice  of  the  old  decaying  kingcraft. 
He  had  an  immovable  belief  in  the  Feudal  right  of  royalty 
to  rule  over  its  subjects  as  it  pleased;  and  by  his  amazing 
power  of  intrigue  supported  by  supreme  abilities  exercised 
during  the  ensuing  thirty  years,  Bismarck  at  last  rose  to  a 
height  that  overshadowed  the  monarchs  whom  he  served — 
and  ruled! 

We  wish  to  emphasize,  again,  that  Bismarck's  conception  of 
kingcraft  was  no  mere  despotic  thing.  To  him,  a  king  was 
truly  a  man  of  great  practical  as  well  as  moral  responsibili- 
ties, akin  to  father,  hence  should  be  obeyed. 

•  '•    • 
24 

Our  young  blond  giant  appears  at  Third  Estates'  As- 
sembly— The  King's  predicament — Bismarck's  op- 
portunity. 

U  Behold  Otto  Edward  Leopold  von  Bismarck,  the  country 
squire,  straight  from  his  cow-sheds  and  his  hunting  dogs; 
a  young  blond  German  giant,  32  years  old,  in  the  very  prime 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  87 

of  his  massive  strength  and  endurance;  plentiful  hair  cropped 
short,  ruddy  face,  blond  beard,  bright  blue  eyes,  big  fists; 
high,  shrill  voice,  strangely  out  of  keeping  with  his  physical 
bulk.  For  years  afterward,  this  peculiar  voice  became  the 
stock  in  trade  of  newspaper  writers.  However,  it  was  what 
the  giant  said! 

fi  Bismarck  wore  a  broad-brimmed  slouch  hat,  military  boots 
and  his  dykeman's  overcoat.  This  rough,  yellow-colored  gar- 
ment, for  which  he  afterwards  became  famous,  was  long, 
baggy  and  loose.  He  used  to  wear  it  when  floods  were  high 
along  the  River  Elbe.  In  Berlin,  at  the  time  were  only  three 
notables  who  wore  these  yellow  overcoats:  the  first,  Bismarck; 
the  second,  the  immortal  Baron  von  Herteford,  the  last  of  his 
race,  hereditary  grand  huntsman  at  Cleve,  and  the  third  was 
worn  by  Geo.  Hesekiel,  the  German  historian. 
fl  Bismarck,  who  was  now  to  receive  his  first  experience  in 
handling  men  in  political  alignments,  had  inherited  a  country 
estate  from  the  old  family  domains  and  was  living  the  life 
of  a  squire;  hunting  foxes,  with  dogs  and  gay  companions, 
passing  nights  in  taverns,  drinking  heavily,  eating  like  a 
glutton,  amusing  himself  as  he  pleased;  a  giant  in  intellect 
and  in  stomach;  turbulent,  tempestuous,  rough,  a  bad  man 
to  cross,  believe  me,  but  among  his  cronies  voted  a  prince 
of  good  fellows.  Such  is  our  German  hero  as  he  comes  upon 
the  great  stage  of  affairs. 

11  When  this  burly  Bismarck  made  his  first  entrance  at  the 
Diet,  or  Assembly  of  the  Three  Estates,  held  in  the  "White 
Saloon"  of  the  Royal  Palace  at  Coelin  on  the  Spree,  our  fu- 
ture empire-maker  and  throne-overturner  knew  by  practical 
experience  absolutely  nothing  about  the  diagonal  of  political 
cross-purposes. 

However,  he  was  now  taking  up  his  great  life-study,  enter- 
ing all  unknowingly  upon  a  magnificent  career  leading  in 
after  years  to  his  fair  renown  as  Father  of  the  German 

Empire. 

•    •  '  • 

TI  He  had,  as  we  have  seen,  thus  far  passed  the  time  as  a 
practical  farmer;  hale  fellow  well  met,  with  upper-class 
leanings. 


88  Blood   and   Iron 

After  taking  his  doctor's  degree  at  Goettingen,  he  had  made 
a  few  journeys,  one  to  Italy,  another  to  the  island  of  Heligo- 
land, on  a  shooting  trip;  had  crossed  the  English  Channel, 
and  had  brought  back  with  him  a  smattering  of  Shakespeare, 
which  he  afterwards  improved  by  considerable  study;  and 
by  the  way  throughout  the  crises  in  his  career,  Bismarck 
often  found  refuge  in  apt  Shakespearian  quotations. 
Then  he  had  done  a  little  governmental  clerical  work  in  the 
lower  courts  of  his  country,  but  his  peculiar  ideas  of  inde- 
pendence and  his  abruptness  in  speaking  his  mind  unfitted 
him  for  this  work.  Glad  to  be  rid  of  his  job,  he  returned  to 
the  country.  He  knew  nothing  of  administrative  or  execu- 
tive life,  and  aside  from  the  fact  that  he  was  a  student  of 
history,  with  a  penchant  for  making  historical  parallels,  tnere 
was  nothing  to  show  the  bent  of  his  powerful  mind. 
If  Yet,  there  is  a  great  man  before  us !  And  since  it  is  not 
based  on  his  training,  then  it  must  come  inherently  from 
his  natural  endowment. 

His  master-mind  was  to  unseat  and  seat  princes,  kings  and 
emperors,  in  the  fullness  of  time,  rearranging  the  map  of 
Germany  to  suit  himself;  engaging  in  three  wars  of  ambi- 
tion, signally  victorious  in  each;  and  winning  for  himself 
imperishable  fame  during  his  active  career  of  forty  years. 
H  H  H 

II  By  a  singular  turn,  Bismarck  knew  or  cared  so  little  for 
politics,  at  this  time,  that  his  very  entry  into  the  "White 
Saloon,"  in  which  the  Liberals  decided  to  settle  with  this 
stubborn  King  Fr:  Wm.  IV,  was  wholly  by  accident. 
The  Saxon  Provincial  Diet  at  Meresburg  had  chosen  Dyke 
Captain  von  Brauchitsch  of  Scharteuke,  in  the  Circle  of  Jeri- 
chow,  as  Deputy  at  the  United  Diet,  and  had  selected  Dyke 
Captain  von  Bismarck  of  Schoenhausen  as  his  proxy.  As 
Herr  von  Brauchitsch  was  very  ill,  his  substitute  was  sum- 
moned. 

fl  Bismarck  appeared  as  representative  of  the  Knight's  Estate 
of  Jerichow,  and  vassal  and  chivalric  servitor  of  the  King. 
How  go  the  Fates!  If  the  eminent  von  Brauchitsch  had  not 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  89 

had  the  toothache,  that  day,  there  might  not  have  been  a 
United  Germany — is  it  not  true  ? 

U  In  the  group  that  gathered  in  the  "White  Saloon"  at  Coelin 
on  the  Spree,  Bismarck  met  many  men  whose  opinions  were 
well  known  to  him;  his  brother,  the  Landrath,  his  cousins, 
the  Counts  von  Bismarck-Bohlen  and  von  Bismarck-Briest; 
his  future  father-in-law,  Herr  von  Puttkammer;  von  Thad- 
den,  von  Wedell,  and  many  others,  Says  Heskiel: 
U  "Unfortunately  these  gentlemen  in  general,  as  Herr  von 
Thadden  once  bluntly  said  of  himself,  were  not  even  bad 
orators,  but  no  orators  at  all.  Nor  could  the  two  Freiherrs 
von  Manteuffel  contend  in  eloquence  with  the  brilliant 
rhetorics  of  the  Liberals,  such  as  Freiherr  von  Vincke,  Camp- 
hausen,  Mevissen,  Beckerath,  and  others. 
fl  "Few  persons  today  can  read  those  speeches  of  the  First 
United  Diet,  once  so  celebrated,  without  a  melancholy  or 
satirical  smile.  Those  were  the  blossom-days  of  liberal 
phraseology,  causing  an  enthusiasm  of  which  we  cannot  now 
form  any  adequate  idea!" 

n   a   g 

If  Troublous  times  indeed;  and  the  King  an  autocrat  of  auto- 
crats, forced  by  the  liberal  ideas  of  the  hour,  breaking  every- 
where.    We  can  imagine  William  saying  angrily: 
"Confound  the  impudence  of  the  Liberals  with  their  crazy  lib- 
erty, fraternity  and  equality.    We  supposed  that  all  this  non- 
sense was  blown  to  bits  by  the  guns  at  Waterloo!" 
If  The  bedeviled  King  began  to  show  a  streak  of  Prussian 
stubbornness;  in  these  angry  words  he  incautiously  addressed 
those  delegates  who  had  dared  to  ask  for  a  Constitution: 
1f  "I  refuse  to  allow  to  come  between  Almighty  God  in  Heaven 
and  this  Prussian  land  so  much  as  a  blotted  piece  of  parch- 
ment to  rule  us  with  paragraphs,  and  to  replace  thereby  the 
sacred  bond  of  ancient  loyalty!" 

fl  The  widening  gulf  between  monarchy  and  French  constitu- 
tionalism was  now  manifest  to  almost  any  thoughtful  Prus- 
sian, but,  like  the  ostrich,  our  timid  William  continued  to  hide 
his  head  under  the  sand  and  believed  himself  safe. 


90  Blood    and    Iron 


For  one  whole  month,  burly  Bismarck  sits  with  his 
mouth  shut,  seemingly  stricken  dumb  at  the  sacri- 
legious ideas  of  the  Democrats. 

Tf  Now  this  giant  dyke-captain,  this  lover  of  dogs,  horses  and 
cattle,  sat  for  one  whole  month,  stricken  dumb  it  seemed  by 
the  political  heresies  that  he  heard.  For  one  solid  month,  he 
never  opened  his  mouth!  Then  he  could  stand  it  no  longer. 
He  pleaded  vigorously  for  the  Middle  Ages  feudal  system, 
and  for  the  right  of  his  own  aristocratic  class!  In  truth, 
without  knowing  it,  he  was  expressing  the  King's  sentiments, 
was  a  genuine  King's  Man. 

fi  The  future  prince's  first  speech  swept  like  a  hurricane  over 
a  garden  in  June — withering,  blasting,  uprooting.  He  began 
by  denying,  absolutely,  that  the  great  victory  of  1813  which 
expelled  for  Prussia  the  French  invaders  was  based  on  so 
low  a  consideration  as  the  promise  of  a  paper  Constitution. 
Not  at  all!  It  was  an  exhibition  of  pure  patriotism.  In  his 
historical  reference,  Bismarck,  in  this  instance,  was  in  error. 
In  no  sense  was  "the  people"  to  be  credited  with  the  great 
Prussian  victory  of  1813;  it  came  about  largely  through  mili- 
tary tactics,  training  and  general  preparedness,  in  which  "the 
people"  had  no  part  except  to  do  their  plain  duty. 
U  For  his  remarkable  utterance,  Bismarck  was  promptly 
hissed  down  by  the  Liberal  side.  Undaunted,  Bismarck  loaded 
his  heaviest  guns  against  this  thing  called  "Liberalism," 
with  all  its  mock-heroics  of  liberty,  fraternity  and  equality. 
Would  it  not  endanger  our  King's  sacred  throne?  That  was 
enough  for  Herr  Bismarck. 

U  Thus  the  doughty  Dyke-captain  from  the  Elbe  endeavored 
to  perform  a  political  miracle — new  wine  in  old  bottles — and 
as  fast  as  the  bottles  popped,  he  put  the  wine  in  still  other 
old  bottles.  Was  there  ever  more  folly  ?  Did  a  young  cham- 
pion of  the  Crown  ever  make  greater  fool  of  himself? 
If  And  with  all  Europe  bawling  for  liberty,  fraternity  and 
equality;  with  thrones  tottering  in  every  direction;  with  23 
of  the  39  German  states  already  joyously  exhibiting  their 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  91 

new  Constitutions  ?  Here  was  a  voice  in  the  wilderness  cry- 
ing for  monarchy  and  the  Divine-right  of  kings!  And  what's 
more,  gentlemen,  he  has  before  him  a  30-years'  fight,  but 
in  the  end  will  ram  it  down  your  throats. 
If  His  cry  at  this  moment  is  that  ancient  Prussian  slogan, 
"Mitt  Gott  fuer  Koenig  und  Vaterland!"  The  question  on 
the  proposed  Constitution — the  right  of  petition  and  certain 
specified  control  over  state  finance  by  the  people — simple  as 
all  this  seems  today,  created  a  terrible  storm!  The  nobility, 
led  by  the  Dyke-captain,  felt  uneasy;  a  parliament  of  the 
people  was  indeed  a  needless  concession.  And  were  the  peo- 
ple prepared  by  education  for  this  great  change?  Was  it 
not  hasty? 

fl  Meantime,  the  King  was  in  truth  a  sort  of  broken  reed, 
stirred  by  every  blast  that  swept  from  the  "White  Saloon.'* 
If  Fr :  Wm.  IV  was  a  "Hamlet-hesitating  monarch,"  who  had 
it  not  been  for  the  burly  giant  Bismarck  would  have  been 
swept  into  oblivion  by  the  first  whiff  of  gunpowder.  A  stick- 
ler for  religious  dogma,  the  pietists  adored  him,  but  the 
classes  despised  him;  he  was  one  of  those  men  who  discuss 
trifles  with  elegant  ease,  but  who  have  no  conception  of  what 
is  behind  this  present  widespread  demand  for  a  constitu- 
tion. This  King  Fr.:  Wm.  IV  lived  in  a  mystic  mediaeval 
dreamland;  he  restored  the  cathedral  of  Cologne;  sent  a  mis- 
sionary band  to  spread  his  beloved  Lutheran  doctrines  to  the 
Chinese,  and  established  a  Protestant  bishop  at  Jerusalem. 
The  political  literature  of  the  time  is  overwhelmingly  against 
William.  He  did  not  understand  the  drift  of  events.  With- 
out Bismarck,  the  King's  head  would  soon  have  rolled  into 
the  basket! 

•    •    • 

26 

Bellowing  his  defiance,  though  the  Liberals  bring 
the  rope — The  new  man  explains  his  novel  position, 
not  as  a  politician  but  as  a  Prussian  in  deadly  ear- 
nest— The  Jew,  and  time's  revenge. 

If  There  were  three  sessions  of  the  Baby  Parliament,  and 
Bismarck  was  soon  looked  upon  as  the  conservative  leader. 


92  Blood   and   Iron 

Perhaps  conservative  is  not  the  word;  reactionary  would  be 
closer.  There  was  no  Conservative  party,  nor  a  Liberal  party 
for  that  matter.  The  obstinate  fight  with  Bismarck  was  not 
because  he  wished  to  prevent  the  common  people  from  hav- 
ing a  share  in  their  Prussian  government,  but  because  the 
change,  if  ever  it  came,  would  set  up  a  peculiar  type  of  Prus- 
sian government;  a  state-government,  as  it  were,  as  against 
the  old-time  liege-lord  master-and-servant  conception  of  Ho- 
henzollern  "Divine-right"  policy. 

U  The  very  word  "people"  threw  Herr  Bismarck  into  hyster- 
ical frenzy!  He  determined  upon  resisting  the  heresy  with 
all  the  virile  courage  of  his  colossal  bulk. 
It  had  been  his  duty,  as  Elbe  dyke-captain,  to  protect  his 
country  against  torrential  waters;  now  he  would  do  similar 
service  against  the  rising  floods  of  revolution.  He  set  up  the 
historical  agreement  that  the  edifice  of  Prussia,  under  an 
aristocratic  form  of  rulership,  was  firmer  toward  foreign  foes, 
firmer  than  was  possible  under  the  leader  rule  of  the  people. 
HA  conservative  deputy  from  Pomerania,  addressing  the  ad- 
ministration member  for  West  Havelland,  said:  "We  have 
conquered!" 

H"Not  so!"  replied  Bismarck,  coolly.  "We  have  not  con- 
quered, but  we  have  made  an  attack,  which  is  the  principal 
thing.  Victory  is  yet  to  come,  but  it  will  take  years!" 
*'  These  words  accurately  convey  the  nature  of  the  situation. 
Bismarck  was  master  of  short  phrases  in  which  complex 
situations  are  summed  up. 

s       5      * 

fHe  had  dog-like  love  for  his  master,  the  King:  "No  word," 
he  exclaimed,  "has  been  more  wrongly  used  in  the  past  year 
than  the  word  'people.'  Each  man  has  held  it  to  mean  just 
what  suits  his  individual  view." 

f  "We  are  Prussians,"  was  his  eternal  keynote,  "and  Prussia 
is  all-sufficient.  Our  hosts  follow  the  Prussian  flag  and  not 
the  tricolor;  under  the  black  and  white  they  joyfully  die  for 
their  country.  The  tricolor  has  been,  since  the  March  riots, 
recognized  as  the  color  of  their  opponents.  The  accents  of 
the  Prussian  National  Anthem,  the  strains  of  the  Dessau  and 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  93 

Hohenfriedberg  March  are  well  known  and  beloved  among 
them;  but  I  have  never  yet  heard  a  Prussian  soldier  sing, 
'What  is  the  German  Fatherland?'  The  nation  whence  this 
army  has  sprung,  and  of  which  the  army  is  the  truest  repre- 
sentative in  the  happy  and  accurate  words  of  the  president 
of  the  First  Chamber,  Rudolph  von  Auerswald,  does  not  need 
to  see  the  Prussian  monarchy  melt  away  in  the  filthy  fer- 
ment of  South  German  immorality.  We  are  Prussians,  and 
Prussians  we  desire  to  remain!  I  know  that  in  these  words 
I  utter  the  creed  of  the  Prussian  army,  the  creed  of  the  ma- 
jority of  my  fellow-countrymen,  and  I  hope  to  God  that  we 
shall  continue  Prussians,  when  this  bit  of  paper  is  forgotten 
like  the  withered  leaf  of  autumn!" 

If  Yes,  Bismarck,  any  day  the  mob  may  bring  the  rope;  but 
you  still  bellow  your  defiance,  your  face  of  brass  unabashed. 
Man  among  men — wrong  though  you  be,  Bismarck,  you  will 
have  your  say  though  the  Heavens  fall. 

If  "I  am  proud  to  be  a  Prussian  Junker,  and  feel  honored  by 
the  appellation.  Whigs  and  Tories  were  terms  which  once 
also  had  a  very  mean  signification;  and  be  assured,  gentle- 
men, that  we  shall  on  our  part  bring  Junkerdom  to  be  re- 
garded with  honor  and  respect." 

HUH 

If  Aristocrats  were  delighted;  von  Thadden  exclaimed:  "I  am 
enthusiastic  over  this  man  Bismarck!"  Geo.  v.  Wincke,  the 
Westphalian  high  official,  short,  fat,  red-headed,  never  ad- 
mired the  burly  giant  Bismarck,  smelling  of  the  cow-sheds. 
If  For  twenty  years,  off  and  on,  the  testy  v.  Wincke  indulged 
in  invective,  his  theme  ever  being  "The  rule  of  law."  This 
George  v.  Wincke  in  spite  of  his  medals  and  his  family  tree 
was  on  the  liberal  side,  bag  and  baggage. 
If  There  was  a  strain  of  bitter  eloquence  about  this  red- 
headed champion  of  the  people's  rights.  He  had  read  Guizot 
and  talked  much  of  Hampden,  the  Long  Parliament,  and  all 
that.  George  had  the  legal  side  of  the  argument,  especially 
since  the  French  revolution  had  set  liberty  bells  a-ringing 
everywhere,  even  in  solemn  old  Prussia;  but  the  doughty 
Bismarck  would  come  thundering  back  with  his  "unlimited 
crown"  and  rulership  over  the  people  "by  the  grace  of  God," 


94  Blood    and   Iron 

royal  prerogative  and  general  disdain  for  the  masses; — as  in 
the  regime  of  Louis  the  Magnificent  at  Versailles,  when  the 
convicts  worked  to  build  the  $200,000,000  palace  to  shelter 
art,  wit  and  pretty  women,  while  the  people  starved.  How 
out  of  tune,  Bismarck;  how  hopelessly  reactionary! 

•  •    • 

Tf  Bismarck  voted  against  every  new  privilege.  His  speeches 
read  like  reports  of  personal  rows!  He  was  frank,  fearless 
and  frenzied,  and  in  turn  his  volleys  excited  groans  and 
hisses. 

If  Was  ever  mortal  so  utterly  out  of  touch  with  the  prevail- 
ing French  conception  of  liberty,  equality  and  fraternity? 
Here  is  the  way  he  summed  up  political  equality: 
If  "The  goosequill  arguments  of  newspaper  writers!"  "Relics 
of  pot-houses!"  "The  emancipation  of  the  people  does  not 
mean  progress!"  "A  royal  word  is  more  than  volumes  of 
law!"  "The  Prussian  sovereigns  are  in  possession  of  a  crown 
by  God's  grace!"  "The  king  has  said  he  did  not  wish  to 
be  coerced  or  driven!"  "Let  there  be  a  period  of  four  years, 
at  least,  before  another  such  stupid  meeting  as  this  is  held." 
If  It  was  a  curious  situation.  Bismarck  was  both  rude  and 
crude! 

His  style  of  delivery  was  lame,  his  voice  improperly  placed, 
his  mannerisms  grotesque.  Despite  his  hobbling  oratory, 
however,  Bismarck  was  soon  a  marked  man;  he  held  his  au- 
dience by  his  sensational  ideas  and  his  dogged  courage! 

•  •    • 

If  Why  did  Bismarck  vote  against  every  new  privilege  ? 
This  may  not  be  decently  answered  in  a  word;  you  must  read 
on  in  detail;  there  was  a  great  principle  behind  Bismarck's 
political  attitude.  True,  it  was  crudely  conceived  and  ex- 
pressed, at  this  period;  but  he  will  improve  with  time. 
If  Bismarck  well  remembered  the  excesses  of  German  Jaco- 
bins, in  the  southwest,  during  the  turbulent  years  of  the 
French  Revolution.  Alsace  and  Lorraine  had  welcomed  mas- 
sacres as  signs  of  political  equality;  mob  leaders  destroyed 
castles  and  monasteries;  Jew-baiters  went  mad;  Schneider, 
the  tyrant  of  Strassburg,  took  charge  of  the  guillotine,  but 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  95 

not  making  enough  blood  flow,  was  soon  aided  by  profes- 
sional executioners,  straight  from  Paris. 
If  There  was  also  the  lunatic  "Feast  of  Reason."  Stark-mad 
Germans  paraded  with  Marat's  statue,  attacked  churches, 
wrecked  altars,  heaped  up  images  of  saints,  crosses,  pews, 
pulpits,  and  priests'  garments,  touched  the  match,  and 
danced  around  the  fire; — while  Schneider  harangued  the 
mob  on  the  joys  of  reason,  as  against  revealed  religion; 
solemnly  assuring  his  thousands  of  listeners  that  Christian- 
ity was  now  a  thing  of  the  past. 

If  Thus  the  mad  war  of  liberty  burst  forth,  accompanied  by 
many  extraordinary  episodes.  Nor  were  the  followers  con- 
fined exclusively  to  the  rabble;  we  find  many  noted  teachers, 
scholars  and  politicians  endorsing  the  French  guillotine  as  a 
remedy  for  all  political  ills — men  like  Blau,  Wedekind,  Hoff- 
mann, Foster,,  Stamm,  Dorsch,  not  overlooking  the  spectacular 
John  Mueller,  who  in  the  cause  of  the  people  committed  un- 
heard-of follies  with  his  pen,  as  a  necessary  support  for  the 
sword. 

If  There  was  also  a  stark-mad  leader  named  Cloots,  who  usu- 
ally signed  his  bulletins  "Cloots,  Personal  Enemy  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth."  His  object  was  the  union  of  all  mankind, 
literally  speaking;  no  halfway  measures  for  him,  no  long 
delays;  he  wanted  his  political  salvation  here  and  now. 
If  So  inflamed  were  the  people  that  the  discharge  of  a  tailor's 
apprentice,  in  Breslau,  precipitated  a  riot  and  the  artillery 
was  brought  into  play. 

If  In  Saxony,  18,000  peasants  demanded  a  democratic  consti- 
tution; but  the  authorities  replied  by  sending  the  messenger 
to  a  mad-house. 

1f  Thus,  in  various  directions,  the  crack-brained  revolutionists 
played  their  parts;  nor  should  history  overlook  the  contribu- 
tion of  the  learned  Dr.  Faust,  of  Buckelburg,  whose  profound 
treatise,  "Origin  of  Trousers,"  was  read  in  Paris  as  a  sort 
of  historical  endorsement  of  the  great  democratic  party  that 
gloried  in  the  equality,  not  to  say  liberty,  exhibited  by  cast- 
ing trousers  aside. 

HUH 

If  Now  what  do  you  think?     This  King's  Man,  sprung  up  of 


96  Blood   and   Iron 

a  sudden,  coming  from  his  fox-hunting  and  his  cow-sheds, 
hits  right  and  left  at  the  Jews!  Yes,  as  against  his  "beloved 
Christians."  Here  is  a  new  note  indeed — old  yet  new. 
We  had  not  supposed  Jew-baiting  a  thing  of  the  past;  but 
in  these  tempestuous  times  it  did  seem  that  race-prejudice 
had  no  place  in  a  plain  attempt  to  keep  a  king's  crown, 
fl  "I  will  pass,"  Bismarck  thundered,  "to  the  question  itself. 
I  am  no  enemy  of  Jews,  and  if  they  are  enemies  to  me,  I 
will  forgive  them.  Under  certain  circumstances,  I  even  love 
them.  I  would  grant  them  every  right — save  that  of  hold- 
ing superior  office  posts  in  a  Christian  country. 
fl  "I  admit  I  am  full  of  prejudices,  sucked  in  with  my  moth- 
er's milk.  If  I  think  of  a  Jew,  face  to  face  with  me  as  a 
representative  of  the  king's  sacred  majesty,  and  have  to 
obey  him,  I  must  confess  that  I  should  feel  myself  deeply 
broken  and  depressed.  The  sincere  self-respect  with  which 
I  now  attempt  to  fulfil  my  duties  toward  the  state  would 
leave  me!  I  share  these  feelings  with  the  mass  of  large 
strata  of  people,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  of  their  society." 

•    •    • 

fl  Thus,  now  at  this  supreme  moment,  when  with  voice  of 
brass  our  Bismarck  is  making  his  entry  into  the  world  of 
affairs  with  his  sharp  words  on  Christians  and  Jews,  and 
more  especially  with  his  uncompromising  conception  that 
kings  are  indeed  the  personal  representatives  of  God  on  this 
earth,  we  do  see  that  Bismarck  stems  from  a  fighting  race. 
All  his  years,  this  Bismarck  was  a  frightful  hater. 
H  With  the  sorry  figure  of  the  world-oppressed  Jew  in  our 
eyes  and  the  malignancy  of  this  new  Jew-baiter,  it  is  well 
that  at  the  very  outset  this  be  made  clear:  That  whatever 
Bismarck  was  or  was  not,  at  least  he  was  no  hypocrite.  Hig 
words  always  fall  like  the  wrath  of  God. 
It  is  a  solemn  fact  that  he  changed  his  point  of  view  many, 
many  times— even  as  you  and  I — but  there  is  always  the 
ring  of  sincerity  about  it  that  even  the  acid  test  of  long  time 
is  unable  to  dissolve. 

H     g     U 

U  It  was  this   tremendous  earnestness — this   sincerity — that 
made  Bismarck  feared,  hated  and  despised. 


Bismarck    Supports   His    King  97 

Against  your  will,  you  are  forced  to  believe  what  this  giant 
says,  no  matter  how  mocking,  how  insolent,  how  absurd  his 
charges ! 

Some  tell  us  that  Bismarck's  ancestry  stems  from  Bohemia, 
others  trace  the  Bismarcks  to  Russia,  still  others  assert  Jew- 
ish origin. 

This  much  is  a  fact:  from  a  geographical  point,  the  family 
name  comes  from  the  little  river  Biese,  near  Stendal. 
If  Bismarck's  passion  and  prejudice  against  Jews  was  pro- 
verbial.    It  did  indeed  often  turn  him,  for  the  time  being, 
into  a  mad  dog! 

Near  the  close  of  life,  in  retirement  at  Friedrichsruh,  some 
candid  friend  desecrated  the  great  man's  retirement  by  send- 
ing him  a  copy  of  a  book  by  an  anonymous  writer,  "Bis- 
marck, the  Jew." 

Ordinarily,  Bismarck  paid  no  attention  to  social  lampoons, 
but  on  this  day  as  he  read  the  book  aloud  to  guests,  his 
anger  became  black  and  terrifying! 

If  "I  am  determined  to  have  the  law  on  the  audacious  writer!" 
Bismarck's  guests  saw  the  old  man  in  one  of  his  moods  of 
frightful  rage. 

But  next  day  something  intervened — and  Bismarck  never 
brought  suit  for  damages. 

H     H     H 

If  Here  is  one  thing  that  you  must  never  forget  in  studying 

great  men:    That  it  is  possible,  nay  inevitable,  for  a  man  to 

be  at  once  very  great  and  very  small. 

At    the   very   beginning    of   his    career,   we    find    Bismarck 

ringing  the  solemn  changes  on  "Christian,"  and  we  behold 

him   in   a   characteristically  unamiable   mood   over   "Jews." 

Yet  all  the  time  he  was  endeavoring  to  lay  down  the  dogma 

that  the  proper  aim  of  the  state  is  the  realisation  of  the 

Christian  ideal! 

If  If  now  you  can  understand  this  mental  contradiction,  you 

are  in  a  position  to  grasp  one  of  the  strange  paradoxes  with 

which  Bismarck's  life  is  literally  filled. 

You  see  here,  at  once,  why  he  has  been  so  often  accused  of 

double-dealing,  of  stacking  the  cards,  of  changing  his  mind, 


98  Blood    and    Iron 

of  going  ahead  by  going  backwards,  winning  ultimately  by 
fair  means  or  by  foul. 


now  for  the  sequel.  Many  years  later,  Bismarck  was 
exceedingly  glad  to  be  guided  by  the  advice  of  Jews,  more 
especially  the  Jewish  banker  Bleichroder. 
On  one  side  of  the  table  sits  Bismarck,  the  Pomeranian 
Junker,  and  on  the  other  side  the  sallow-faced,  undersized 
Jew,  Bleichroder. 

Great  friends  they  are  today,  to  be  sure;  and  between  them 
is  a  mound  of  treasury  reports,  telling  in  minute  detail  the 
financial  resources  of  Louis  the  Little,  now  a  helpless  pris- 
oner of  war.  France  is  at  the  Prussian's  mercy,  and  a  Jew 
is  called  in  —  a  despised  Jew! 

Bleichroder  and  Bismarck  coolly  examined  the  balance  sheets 
of  France,  the  present  state  of  her  debts. 
The  money  cost  turns  out  to  be  the  stupendous  sum  of  five 
thousand  millions  of  francs. 

•    •    • 

U  Literary  and  journalistic  France,  in  book,  editorial  and 
oration  made  a  great  outcry  at  the  moment,  declaring  dram- 
atically that  Prussian  barbarians  had  decided  "to  bleed 
France  white"  —  attributing  to  Bismarck  a  figure  of  speech 
borrowed  from  the  butcher's  block!  Well  and  good,  but 
France  paid  the  indemnity  in  surprisingly  short  time;  and 
had  many  millions  left  to  go  on  her  way  rejoicing,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  miserable  obsession,  "Ravanche!"  that  kept  her 
in  hot  water  for  years. 

Tj  Bismarck  was  correctly  quoted  in  this  respect:  That  gold 
is  as  necessary  in  war  as  gunpowder;  and  the  best  way  to 
keep  a  quarrelsome  would-be  Napoleon  out  of  war  is  to 
empty  his  pockets. 

If  The  Jewish  feature,  however,  shows  Bismarck,  through  and 
through;  and  we  could  not  present  him  without  this  sur- 
prising scene.  Make  the  most  of  it. 

H    H    H 

fl"I  do  not  much  like  the  piety  that  proclaims  itself,"  said 
Louis  XIII.  A  similar  remark  may  be  made  concerning 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  99 

Bismarck's  lifelong  belief  that  the  Lord  was  on  Bismarck's 
side — Jew-baiter  and  all. 

fl  "The  longer  I  work  in  politics,"  he  once  remarked,  sum- 
ming up  his  many  political  difficulties,  "the  smaller  my  be- 
lief in  human  calculation.  I  look  at  the  affair  acording  to 
my  human  understanding,  but  gratitude  for  God's  assistance 
so  far  raises  in  me  the  confidence  that  the  Lord  is  able  to 
turn  our  errors  to  our  own  good;  that  I  experience  daily,  to 
my  wholesale  humiliation." 

•    •    • 

CHAPTER   VIII 

Hiamarrk  ^uffrrs  a  (ireat  j^fynrk 

27 

Wherein  it  is  shown  that  Bismarck's  protest  against 
disrespect  for  constituted  authority  was  based  on 
certain  tragic  historical  instances  he  would  not  re- 
peat. 

Tflt  is  freely  granted  that  ideas  of  "Liberty!"  that  many 
German  patriots  desired  to  see  come  to  pass,  in  1848,  were 
not  those  of  1789;  but  elements  of  lawlessness,  of  mob- 
rule,  of  marchings  to  "Ca  Ira!"  of  absurd  glorification  of  the 
common  man,  and  of  snarlings  at  kings  as  kings,  were 
largely  in  the  spirit  laid  down  by  Robespierre,  Danton,  Ma- 
rat and  that  crew,  with  their  chosen  gangsters  of  the  guil- 
lotine. Bismarck  would  have  none  of  it! 
True,  many  of  the  old-line  excesses  were  no  longer  used  for 
political  purposes,  but  Bismarck  was  too  well-balanced,  had 
too  much  common  sense,  in  short  was  too  strongly  aligned 
with  landed  interests  to  endorse  "popular"  government  on 
the  old  type  from  over  the  Vosges.  His  protests  were  all  in 
support  of  authority,  discipline,  duty,  devotion  to  a  delib- 
erately chosen  monarch,  who  ruled  by  the  will  of  God. 
11  In  '48  the  talk  of  the  "Rights  of  Man"  really  meant  the 
rights  of  individual  men — the  tailor,  the  barber,  the  shoe- 
maker— each  of  whom  felt  that  the  time  had  now  come  to 
overturn  the  political  system  of  kings  and  to  bring  on  the 
rule  of  the  common  people. 


ioo  Blood   and    Iron 

Old-line  hatred  of  Napoleon  had  passed  away.  The  French 
military  despot  of  the  early  part  of  the  century  was  now 
figured  as  a  "great  democrat,"  whose  wars  had  "all"  been 
in  the  interest  of  the  people.  Could  anything  have  been 
more  absurd?  The  literary  speculations  of  Rousseau,  as  to 
the  status  of  a  new  society  (such,  for  example,  as  running 
naked  in  the  grove  and  rolling  on  the  grass)  were  now  re- 
placed by  loud  discussions  not  on  the  Rights  of  Man,  as  a 
form  of  idealism,  but  the  rights  of  all  manner  of  men,  each 
of  whom  felt  that,  under  the  new  dispensation,  hastened  if 
necessary  by  bomb,  dagger  and  poison-cup,  the  human  race 
was  to  rise  to  nobler  political  ideals.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
see  that  political  theories  of  this  sort  have  been  indulged, 
in  one  way  or  other,  by  every  generation  in  revolt  against 
the  settled  ways  of  the  fathers. 

11  Let  us,  therefore,  go  back  to  original  sources  and  see  for 
ourselves  just  what  account  the  common  people  had  given 
of  themselves,  in  a  political  way,  in  France  at  the  time  of 
her  so-called  political  millennium.  We  shall  then  be  able  to 
grasp  Bismarck's  position  clearly  and  be  able  at  least  to 
understand,  if  we  do  not  support,  his  attitude  of  uncomprom- 
ising severity  toward  popular  rule,  as  understood  at  this 
moment  in  the  political  evolution  of  Germany. 

H    H     IS 

fi  If  it  be  a  mark  of  progress  to  call  God  a  superstitious  idol 
and  to  endeavor  by  the  guillotine  to  enforce  political  rights, 
then  the  precious  French  key  to  the  Door  of  Destiny  for  this 
human  race  should  be  duplicated  and  placed  in  the  posses- 
sion of  nations,  far  and  wide,  as  the  final  expression  of  man's 
best  idea  of  himself,  his  wife,  his  child  and  his  country. 
This  1789-93  return  to  National  paganism,  both  political  and 
social,  is  the  mockery  that  Bismarck  decided  with  all  his  al- 
mighty strength,  nay  his  supreme  rage,  to  set  aside;  and 
for  him  Prussian  Militarism,  which  he  so  jealously  set  his 
heart  on,  against  the  rising  tides  of  French  constitutionalism, 
otherwise  mob-rule,  was  at  once  to  prove  the  sharp  cure  and 
the  dreadful  counter-blow. 

BBS 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  101 

II  It  was  only  after  St.  Helena  that  the  Napoleonic  legend, 
presenting  Napoleon  as  the  great  democrat,  was  brought 
forward,  to  wit,  that  the  Emperor's  many  brutal  campaigns 
were  in  the  interest  of  the  "common  people"  instead  of 
gratification  of  his  obsession  for  wars. 

The  transition  came  about  in  a  simple  way.  The  Emperor 
was  dead  and  gone;  his  fate  on  a  distant  black  rock  added 
romantic  interest  to  his  lost  cause;  and  the  return  of  the  old- 
line  French  kings  after  Waterloo,  under  the  bayonets  of 
Britain  and  the  Allies,  had  proved  a  keen  disappointment, 
politically,  to  France.  It  is  conceded  that  Napoleon  had 
promised  and  in  many  cases  had  applied  liberal  principles  in 
his  conquered  domains;  but  now  that  the  man  was  dead, 
agitators  of  many  lands,  including  the  39  distracted  Ger- 
man states,  began  to  take  literally  what  the  Emperor  had 
said  in  a  sort  of  huge  politico-military  satire,  to  wit,  that 
his  blood-letting  was  truly  in  the  interest  of  the  masses. 

H     M     H 

If  Hence,  between  1815  and  1848,  agitators  of  Germany  began 
ringing  the  changes  on  the  glories  of  the  French  Revolution. 
True,  the  Emperor  had  been  dead  some  20-odd  years;  a  new 
generation  found  surprising  merits  in  his  military  plans, 
forgetful  of  the  lure  of  loot  that  had  been  the  foundation 
of  it  all;  yes,  for  one  thing  the  hungry  desire  of  the  land- 
less for  the  lands  of  the  Catholic  church. 
If  The  exaggerated  fact  has  been  falsely  set  forth  again  and 
again  that  the  French  peasant  of  1789  was  down  in  the  very 
mire  of  political  despond,  without  a  sou  to  his  name;  the 
cock  called  him  to  work  at  dawn,  and  all  for  the  good  of  the 
aristocrats;  he  was  penniless,  he  was  an  absurd  figure,  he 
was  not  a  man  but  a  beast; — hence  his  righteous  revolt  in 
the  sacred  name  of  Liberty. 

If  The  fact  is  that  at  this  time  the  French  peasant  was  in 
no  worse  condition  than  the  working  classes  of  other  lands, 
including  Britain,  Italy  and  Germany.  That  the  Revolution 
first  broke  out  in  France  and  not  in  the  other  countries! 
named  is  to  be  traced  to  journalistic  and  oratorical  agitators 
of  the  ward-politician  type. 
II  The  special  taxes  of  which  the  peasantry  complained  did 


IO2  Blood   and    Iron 

not  exceed  two  per  cent  of  the  products  of  the  soil;  and  it 
is  also  a  fact  that  France  had  a  large  and  profitable  foreign 
trade;  but  French  political  and  journalistic  agitators  were 
afield,  and  the  plain  truth  is  that  the  landless  desired  to  con- 
fiscate, and  did  confiscate,  the  titles  of  those  in  possession. 
No  sooner  was  the  gigantic  confiscation  of  Catholic  church 
lands,  amounting  to  about  one-third  of  the  soil  of  France, 
or  two  billion  five  hundred  million  of  francs  in  nominal  value, 
ordered  by  Mirabeau,  backed  up  by  the  Revolutionary  tri- 
bunals, than  the  supposedly  impecunious  French  peasants 
came  forward  and  purchased  to  the  extent  of  millions  of 
francs;  and  it  is  a  fact  to-day  (1915)  that  one  of  the  secret 
dreads  of  the  French  peasantry  is  that  some  sensational  po- 
litical change  may  come  in  the  stability  of  the  French  Gov- 
ernment, a  change  that  will  forfeit  these  old  land  titles, 
based  on  confiscation  in  Revolutionary  days. 
If  The  French  peasantry  wants  no  great  National  military 
hero  to  emerge  from  the  war  of  1915;  and  it  is  not  unthink- 
able that  should  a  very  strong  French  general  suddenly  come 
forward,  he  would  be  removed  by  assassination;  a  thing  that 
has  happened  at  least  once  before,  in  latter-day  French 
politics. 

This  confession  of  politico-social  fears  on  the  part  of  the 
French  peasantry  explains  why  in  France,  take  them  as  a 
group,  the  candidates  invested  with  the  honors  of  the  Pres- 
idency are  timid  men,  without  ambitious  political  bias,  and 
why,  on  the  whole,  the  modern  French  National  instinct  lives 
in  dread  of  a  military  hero,  who  with  a  turn  of  his  wrist 
might  on  the  vote  of  his  soldiers  declare  himself,  let  us  say, 
Emperor. 

H     M    S3 

H  Loaded  down  with  debts  incurred  for  various  reasons,  the 
French  of  1789  were  on  the  verge  of  National  bankruptcy. 
This  condition  has  usually  been  charged  up  against  the  ex- 
cesses of  the  French  kings,  such,  for  example,  as  expending 
some  200,000,000  francs  for  pleasure-palaces,  for  the  pretty 
women  around  Louis  XIV;  but  this  charge  will  not  bear  the 
light  of  modern  research. 
It  is  also  a  fact,  on  the  practical  side,  that  the  much-boasted 


Bismarck    Supports   His    King  103 

support  given  to  America  by  the  French  in  America's  Revo- 
lutionary War,  in  a  degree  helped  to  bankrupt  the  French 
government;  but  Americans  have  forgotten  or  wink  at  this 
plain  financial  obligation. 

TfAlso,  the  French  Revolution  had  promised  in  its  every 
utterance  the  dawn  of  the  political  millennium,  whereas  in- 
stead it  brought  an  era  of  blood,  idol-worship  and  free-love. 
We  are  not  discussing  here  those  poetical  French  surveys  of 
the  Rights  of  Man.  Every  ward-politican  in  Paris  had  the 
list  at  his  tongue's  end.  There  was  some  truth,  much  truth, 
in  many  of  these  expressions,  no  doubt,  as  mere  expressions 
of  humane  sentiments.  That,  however,  is  another  story. 

B    •    • 

11  One  has  but  to  read  the  Memoirs  of  President  Bailly  of 
the  Revolutionary  Assembly  to  find  that  mob-rule  predom- 
inated from  the  first  day  of  the  supposed  "Dawn  of  the  polit- 
ical Millennium."  The  mob  in  the  gallery  hissed  or  applauded 
each  speech,  and  deputies  were  intimidated. 
If  Bismarck  in  his  united  Germany  wanted  no  Jacobin  Clubs, 
largely  composed  of  ward-politicians,  and  Bismarck  wanted 
no  Marat  with  his  vile  newspaper,  "Friend  of  the  People," 
setting  class  against  class. 

If  He  wanted  no  guillotine  as  the  German  symbol  of  political 
liberty.  This  political  method  of  the  guillotine  was  at  best 
only  a  cowardly  form  of  assassination,  ineffectual,  barbarous. 
First  one  side  used  it,  then  the  other;  then  still  another 
group;  each  set  of  French  political  assassins  prating  of  Lib- 
erty had  recourse  to  the  guillotine  to  be  well  rid  of  rivals 
much  as  in  Caesar's  time  the  women  of  Caesar's  family, 
that  their  own  might  be  exalted,  in  turn  proceeded  to  poison 
prospective  collateral  heirs  to  the  Imperial  throne. 

S3     H     H 

If  Bismarck  knew  all  about  this  dirty  French  mess,  parading 
itself  as  the  "voice  of  the  people."  He  was  a  strong  man 
himself  and  he  was  guilty  of  gross  ambitions  in  his  rise  to 
power,  but  on  the  whole  Bismarck  stood  for  self-possession 
and  for  manly  audacity,  certainly  not  the  French  Revolution 
type  of  audacity.  It  is  a  fact  that  Bismarck,  as  a  human 


IO4  Blood   and   Iron 

being,  was  a  vast  egotist,  and  had  his  own,  ofttimes  unscrup- 
ulous, way  of  gaining  his  ends,  but  his  conception  of  Mili- 
tarism, the  force  he  did  eventually  use,  was  at  bottom  a 
virtuous  effort  to  support,  liberate  and  unify  the  Fatherland, 
not  drag  it  into  the  mire  of  idolatry  and  bestiality. 

H   H   a 

If  We  shall  frequently  say  harsh  things  about  Bismarck,  in 
this  book;  we  do  not  wish  to  follow  French  methods  and  en- 
deavor to  make  an  impossible  hero  of  a  man  of  clay.  Bis- 
marck, as  a  man  and  in  the  methods  of  his  rise  to  great 
glory,  had  his  gross  faults,  and  we  fearlessly  point  them  out. 
TJ  But  here  are  some  of  the  facts  that  Bismarck  can  never 
stand  accused  of,  in  the  light  of  this  much-boasted  French 
political  "Millennium"  of  1789-93,  and  here,  likewise  we  find 
the  real  reasons  why  he  did  struggle  with  all  his  might 
against  a  reluctant  people  to  enforce  Militarism  throughout 
the  jealous  clashing  39  German  states;  ana  it  Bismarck's 
exercise  of  the  strong  hand,  in  the  bosom  of  the  German 
family  was  a  fault,  then  at  least  it  did  not  include  these 
French  conditions,  set  up  to  cause  the  world  to  gasp  in 
admiration. 

IfThe  bull-necked  Danton,  the  Parisian  ward-heeler,  in  con- 
trol of  public  opinion,  came  on  with  his  guillotine;  and  closed 
the  city's  gates  against  any  man  that  had  a  dollar  to  pay 
his  debts  or  buy  a  dinner. 

fiThe  so-called  "will  of  the  people"  was  in  short  a  spurious 
affair,  unnaturally  created  by  a  political  morphine  that  gave 
glorious  dreams;  and  this  wretched  drug  was  supplied  by  the 
mob-leaders. 

All  the  blood-letting  was  represented  as  a  harmless  affair, 
tending  toward  liberty  and  equality;  all  the  confiscations  of 
church-lands  and  redistribution  among  the  peasants  was  de- 
clared a  "great"  political  triumph. 

Throughout  even  the  loneliest  country  districts  the  word  was 
passed  that  the  political  millennium  was  about  to  break. 
II  The   King  was   represented   as   a   "monster   fattening   on 
crime."     His  wife  was  called  an  Austrian  "panthress,"  and 
vile  pamphlets  were  secretly  passed  around  reflecting  on  her 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  105 

character.  God  was  represented  as  judging  the  King,  and 
the  guillotine  was  awaiting  Louis,  by  Heaven's  decree. 
HThe  26,000  priests  who  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  al- 
legiance to  the  monstrous  political  farce  were  visited  with 
all  manner  of  persecutions;  one  section  of  Revolutionary 
opinion  decreed  that  death  was  the  just  due  of  all  offending 
pastors. 

IJThe  assertion  of  kept-historians  that  there  was  "political 
justification"  is  at  once  spurious  and  an  insult  to  common 
sense. 

fl  In  justice  to  the  better  French  element  it  is  granted  freely 
that  the  dreadful  September  massacres  did  not  express  the 
real  beliefs  of  the  great  decent  body  of  the  French  people; 
but  the  Nation  was  dragged  through  the  mire  and  the  Nation 
has  for  years  been  endeavoring  to  explain  this  political  Mil- 
lennium of  riots,  murders,  midnight  assassinations,  despool- 
ings of  land  titles. 

H     £j     H 

U  Bismarck  would  have  drained  the  poison  cup  rather  than 
stand  for  such  French  Constitutional  nonsense  in  his  beloved 
Germany,  the  Germany  of  his  dreams,  the  Germany  for 
which  he  labored  so  many  years,  the  Germany  which  he 
would  save  from  itself,  so  to  speak. 

He  purposed  to  build  up  German  political  opinion,  not 
through  blatherskite  ward-heelers,  in  Berlin,  Frankfort  or 
Hamburg,  but  by  a  manly  appeal  to  German  common  sense 
and  German  sense  of  respect  for  authority;  and  if  Bismarck 
overworked  his  idea  of  Divine-right  of  kings,  then  at  least 
this  may  be  said:  that  he  issued  no  appeal  to  the  German 
people  "Who  Laughs  on  Friday,  Weeps  on  Sunday!"  (The 
massacres  had  come  between!)  And  as  to  Danton,  who 
glories  in  being  the  immediate  instigator  of  the  massacres 
we  have  these,  Danton's  own  words:  "It  was  I  who  caused 
them.  Rivers  of  blood  had  to  flow  between  me  and  our 
enemies!"  Finally,  after  these  rivers  of  blood,  the  word 
was  passed,  "That  the  entire  Nation  will  hasten  to  adopt  thi* 
(guillotine)  most-necessary  means  of  public  salvation." 


io6  Blood    and    Iron 

28 

Viewing  at  closer  range  the  work  of  the  legislators 
of  the  great  republic  of  liberty  and  equality;  these 
facts  Bismarck  well  knew,  explaining  his  belief  in 
militarism. 

U  After  reading  five  hundred  pamphlets  on  the  Revolution 
(as  she  testified  at  her  trial)  Charlotte  Corday  struck  down 
Marat  with  a  dagger;  and  her  act  has  been  generally  con- 
doned by  men  with  a  sense  of  fair-play.  It  was  indeed  a 
bloody  murder;  but  when  a  mad-dog  is  running  wild,  a  beast 
fattening  on  human  blood,  one  passion  feeds  on  another — 
and  Corday  is  no  exception.  (Henderson,  Symbol  and  Satire 
of  the  French  Revolution). 

Heroine  or  monster,  take  your  choice;  at  least  in  her  time 
such  was  the  frenzy  of  the  alleged  political  Millennium  that 
Marat  was  soon  worshipped  as  a  martyr.  This  atrocious  po- 
litical quack,  with  all  his  daggers  and  his  blackjacks,  was 
likened  to  Jesus  Christ;  and  among  the  sentiments  of  the 
hour  we  read,  "A  perfidious  hand  has  snatched  him  away 
from  his  beloved  people";  "To  the  immortal  glory  of  Marat, 
the  people's  friend";  "Unable  to  corrupt  me,  they  h^ve  as- 
sassinated me!"  "Marat,  rare  and  sublime  soul,  we  will  imi- 
tate thee;  we  swear  it  on  thy  bloody  corpse." 
Such  are  some  of  the  expressions  of  Liberty,  Equality  and 
Fraternity  that  followers  of  French  Constitutionalism  had 
years  later  decreed  to  re-enact  in  Germany;  but  Bismarck 
stood  as  a  master  with  a  rod  of  iron  to  lay  over  the  backs  of 
fanatical  German  Radicals,  who  would  come  on  with  their 
drunken  calls  of  "Liberty!" 

HUH 

fl  All  this,  however,  is  only  the  mild  opening  chapter  of  this 
much  glorified  French  Constitutionalism.  The  French  prisons 
soon  held  about  all  there  was  of  French  intelligence  and  mod- 
eration; the  brains,  the  blood  and  the  beauty.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  mention  names. 

If  you  wish  to  become  hysterical,  read  your  fill  of  this 
drunken  era  of  French  Constitutionalism. 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  107 

At  the  height  of  the  Terror,  there  were  8,000  political  pris- 
oners in  French  dungeons;  and  the  mobs  still  came  on  with 
their  cries  for  fresh  blood.  One  day,  this  expression  was 
made:  "The  town  of  Lyons  shall  be  destroyed;  the  name 
Lyons  shall  be  effaced,"  etc.  All  this  meant  that  Lyons, 
weary  of  blood,  had  decided  on  raising  an  army  to  beat  back 
the  sons  of  spurious  liberty. 

m   D   ta 

H  Any  man  who,  in  the  Terror,  dared  disagree  with  the  mob- 
rulers  was  called  a  "conspirator."  In  a  letter  from  Herbois, 
we  find  this  plain  evidence  of  political  lunacy  masquerading 
as  inspiration:  "There  are  60,000  individuals  here  who  will 
never  make  good  republicans;  we  must  have  them  sent  away. 
I  have  new  measures  in  mind,  weighty  and  effectual,*  *  * 
Heads,  more  heads,  heads  every  day!  *  *  *  How  you 
would  have  enjoyed  seeing  National  justice  meted  out  to  two 
hundred  and  nine  rogues.  What  cement  for  the  Republic  I 
I  say  fete,  yes,  citizen  president,  fete  is  the  right  word.  The 
guillotining  and  fusillading  are  not  going  badly!" 

IS     H     H 

If  The  Queen,  now  in  her  dungeon,  was  treated  with  wretched 
dishonor.  Even  the  petty  expenses  of  bread  and  salt  were 
begrudged:  15  francs  a  day  for  food;  three  francs  and  18 
sous  for  trimming  a  skirt,  18  sous  for  a  ribbon  and  shoe- 
strings; three  francs  for  a  tooth  wash; — all  this  was  kept 
track  of.  Yet  in  years  gone  by  France  had  allowed  her 
four  million  francs  of  pin  money,  and  the  royal  allowance 
was  twenty-five  millions  of  francs  per  annum. 
fl  "Through  a  small  window  in  her  cell  comes  the  light  of  day. 
*  *  *  She  is  accused  of  being  a  leech,  a  scourge,  a  harpy 
and  a  free-lover;  she  is  condemned  to  death." 

•    •    • 

If  The  political  assassins,  known  as  the  Mountain,  and  that 
known  as  the  Girondists,  now  began  destroying  each  other; 
every  patriotic  action  of  the  Girondists  was  set  forth  as  hav- 
ing been  instigated  by  love  of  vulgar  applause.  After  some 
days,  the  Jacobin  Club  petitioned  for  freer  trials,  less  hin- 
dered by  legal  formalities. 


io8  Blood    and    Iron 

fl"Long  live  the  Republic!"  was  the  cry.  "Perish  all  traitors!" 
Executions  continued,  day  by  day. 

1j  The  poor  king  was  long  since  dead  and  gone,  yet  his  mem- 
ory was  detested. 

On  a  certain  day  of  horrors,  the  tombs  of  his  ancestors  were 
broken  open  by  the  mob,  and  the  bones  scattered.  One  corpse 
(or  what  remained  of  it)  was  stood  up  against  a  wall  and  the 
beard  hacked  off  by  a  patriot  of  the  new  Regime. 

•    •    • 

H  All  authority  was  now  overthrown;  and  as  one  writer  adds, 
"the  most  daring  enterprise  of  the  Revolution  remains  to  be 
chronicled:  the  storming  of  Heaven!"     (Henderson.) 
11  The  leaders  decided  next  to  attack  God  on  His  throne;  God 
was  officially  declared  a  superstitious  myth. 
The  altars  of  France  were  hurled  over;  the  Christian  era  was 
abolished  by  political  decree;  the  Sabbath  day  was  officially 
proclaimed  done   away  with;   Christ  was  to  be  henceforth 
banished,  officially;  churches  closed,  pagan  rites  substituted. 

H     H     H 

H  Bismarck,  the  thinker,  Bismarck,  the  builder,  with  his 
dream  of  political  responsibility,  of  vested  Authority,  stood 
for  no  such  facts  in  his  protests  against  the  rising  tide  of 
Radicalism,  in  the  German  states. 

He  knew  his  history  too  well;  he  knew  the  satire  of  the 
French  Revolution,  the  folly  of  meeting  it  in  any  way  except 
by  the  sword. 

fiYes,  Bismarck  believed  strongly  in  what  has  since  been 
called  Militarism;  but  his  idea  was  that  power  was  needed 
for  the  liberation  and  the  unification  of  his  country;  and  he 
hated  French  Constitutionalism  and  fought  by  fair  means 
and  by  foul  all  efforts  to  warp  upon  Germans  the  political 
ideals  of  the  French  Revolution.  So  you  must  here  and  now 
make  up  your  mind  whether  or  not  Bismarck  was  a  great 
statesman  or  a  great  fool. 

M    H     S 

U  The  French  Convention,  weary  of  blood-letting,  began  maun- 
dering in  the  psychology  of  religion. 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  109 

It  was  officially  set  forth  by  one  of  the  Deputies  that,  after 
all,  the  idea  was  to  invent  some  new  form  of  religion,  without 
which  the  proposed  political  Millennium  had  fallen  short. 
Marat  was  turned  to,  that  choice  spirit  of  the  height  of  the 
era;  though  in  his  tomb,  he  was  called  upon  in  this  strange 
language,  despite  his  bringing  in  the  Terror: 
t  "O,  heart  of  Jesus,  0  heart  of  Marat,  you  have  an  equal 
right  to  our  homage!" 

If  A  New  Era  was  now  decreed,  taken  in  the  main  from  the 
paganism  of  early  France.  The  four  seasons  were  sym- 
bolized by  the  hunt  of  the  man  for  his  mate:  he  is  afield  in 
Autumn,  on  horseback;  in  Winter,  he  first  finds  his  new  mate; 
in  the  Spring,  the  maid  watches  her  sheep  feeding  on  the 
hills;  and  in  Summertime,  the  man  is  seen  leading  his  mate 
to  a  couch,  his  arms  already  around  her  waist. 
If  One  of  the  leading  symbols  was  Reason,  presented  as  a 
lady  petting  a  lion;  saints'  days  were  replaced  by  days  for 
animals,  one  for  the  cat,  the  dog,  the  sheep,  and  what  you 
we  will;  but  no  longer  St.  John's,  St.  James,  St.  Louis. 
Certain  other  days,  dedicated  to  the  "Spirit  of  the  Revolu- 
tion," were  termed  "Sans  culotte,"  or  without  trousers,  to 
wit,  the  French  version  of  that  great  idol  of  the  American 
yellow  editor,  who  cries  for  justice  in  behalf  of  the  man  with 
the  seat  out  of  his  trousers. 

If  On  a  certain  day,  the  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  was  used 
as  a  background  for  the  great  French  political  drama;  a 
mountain  was  erected,  a  figure  known  as  Truth  was  present. 
The  Goddess  Reason  was  also  carried  to  the  Tuileries;  and 
later  as  a  report  written  at  the  time  says,  "The  President  of 
the  Convention  gave  the  Goddess  a  fraternal  kiss,  whereupon 
his  secretaries  asked  and  obtained  a  similar  privilege." 
jf  At  Rochefort  the  orator  of  the  hour  began,  "Citizens,  there 
is  no  future  life!" 

If  The  images  of  saints  were  replaced  by  men  of  the  stripe  of 
Marat,  Brutus  and  other  tyrants. 

fi  Also,  an  ass  was  dressed  in  pontifical  robes  at  a  sort  of 
National  fete,  and  a  few  days  later  at  a  public  masquerade, 
the  President  replying  to  praises  of  the  New  Era  explained 


no  Blood   and    Iron 

himself  as  follows:  "In  one  single  instant  you  make  vanish 
into  nothingness  the  errors  of  eighteen  centuries";  by  which 
he  meant  to  honor  the  paganism  of  the  new  French  political 
Millennium. 

•  •    • 

If  Now  comes  that  dangerous  man,  king  of  political  charla- 
tans, Robespierre,  who  offers  a  private  religion  of  his  own. 
11  The  queer  thing  about  this  Robespierre,  the  new  dictator, 
is  his  belief  that  he  and  he  alone  is  the  fountain  of  all  politi- 
cal virtues.  One  must  be  willing  to  sacrifice  brothers, 
mother,  sister,  father  to  the  guillotine — for  the  good  of  one's 
country. 

The  Robespierre  idea  is  that  the  supreme  duty  of  a  Nation 
is  to  repress  '"crime,"  as  well  as  to  uphold  "virtue"  and 
"crime"  consists  largely  in  not  agreeing  with  the  great  cen- 
tral authority.  He  has  had  many  followers  since  that  day. 
If  Robespierre  was  really  a  great  man  gone  wrong;  he  had 
in  many  respects  a  brilliant  mind;  he  was  a  profound  orator; 
a  born  leader;  but  he  was  unsound  at  the  core,  like  a  rotten 
apple;  taught  bloodshed  and  violence,  as  expressions  of  Na- 
tional honor. 

fl  In  one  picture  of  the  hour,  he  is  represented  as  the  Sun, 
rising  over  the  Mountain,  and  Giving  Light  to  the  Universe. 

•  •    • 

fl  The  day  dawns  when  Robespierre  has  his  old  friend  and 

rival  Danton  on  the  scaffold.    This  was  to  be  expected.    Then 

followed  many  executions  of  Dantonists. 

If  Robespierre  now  came  on  with  his  "new"  religion;  he  boldly 

announced  a  Supreme  Being  and  belief  in  immortality! 

1f  He  applied  the  torch  to  the  wooden  images  set  up  by  his 

political  predecessors.     He  made  a  speech  that  is  untellig- 

ible,  all  wind,  sound  and  bombast,  but  was  cheered  to  the 

echo. 

•  •    • 

If  Are  you  not  growing  weary  of  all  these  absurdities  ?     Per- 
haps you  think  the  details  taken  from  the  records  of  Bloom- 
ingdale  Asylum  ? 
No;  French  Constitutionalism  of  1789-93,  the  sort  that  the 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  in 

Radicals  of  Germany  had  in  mind,  (with  some  variations), 
and  often  extolled  in  fiery  speeches  of  the  German  Liberal 
party  that  Bismarck  decided  to  crush  down,  with  a  rod  of 
iron.  True,  the  old  offensive  historical  details  were  kept  out 
of  sight  and  were  not  fresh  in  men's  minds; — except  read- 
ing men  and  thinking  men,  like  Bismarck;  men  bold  enough 
to  stand  out  against  mob-violence,  called  by  whatever  soft 
name  you  please. 

If  A  French  cartoon  of  the  Robespierre  Regime  made  at  the 
time  by  an  admirer  shows  the  earth  around  the  guillotine 
heaped  with  heads,  and  at  last  the  over-weary  executioner, 
failing  to  find  further  victims,  decides  to  execute  himself! 
He  is  therefore  seen  lying  under  the  axe,  his  head  rolling 
on  the  floor. 

If  Robespierre  in  the  end  went  the  way  of  all  the  other  polit- 
ical fanatics;  the  day  came  when  he  was  spat  upon,  struck, 
beaten  by  mobs,  pricked  with  knives. 

According  to  his  own  theory,  he  needed  no  trial   (said  his 
new  rivals  and  enemies  in  their  lust  for  power),  for  he  has 
by  his  acts  shown  himself  to  be  an  enemy  of  his  country. 
They  carried  him  down  the  great  staircase;  he  fought  back 
savagely,  like  the  frightful  animal  that  he  was. 
If  Eighty-two  of  his  followers  died  that  day,  on  the  guillotine. 
1f  "Long  live  the  Republic!    Long  live  Liberty!"  was  the  loud 
cry  of  the  rabble. 

H     H     H 

If  Such  is  some  of  the  work  of  the  great  legislators  of  the 
Republic  of  Equality  as  set  forth  by  the  various  authors  of 
the  new  French  "political  Millennium,"  during  those  terrible 
years  1789-93;  we  have  seen  their  ideas  on  a  grand  scale; 
and  it  is  for  you  to  judge  whether  in  setting  himself  squarely 
in  favor  of  Discipline  and  respect  for  constituted  Authority, 
as  exemplified  by  the  line  of  Prussian  kings,  and  the  Prus- 
sian system  of  education,  Bismarck  was  to  show  himself  a 
man  or  a  mouse. 

If  Bismarck,  who  was  a  deep  reader  on  politics,  knew  well 
the  frightful  excesses  of  French  mob-rule.  He  may  also 
have  recognized  certain  general  excellent  principles,  but  he 


112  Blood    and    Iron 

would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  fungous  growth.  And  as 
we  follow  his  career,  we  see  the  virtue  in  his  strong  reliance 
on  Militarism,  as  an  arm  to  keep  in  check  the  turbulent 
German  masses,  also,  later,  this  same  Militarism  to  be  used 
to  do  battle  for  the  German  Empire. 

•    •    • 

If  For  many  years,  all  manner  of  rosy  democratic  plans  had 
been  voiced  by  the  Liberals. 

The  thing  had  been  done  to  death.  Every  manner  of  polit- 
ical Utopia  had  been  planned  by  theorists,  but  Bismarck 
met  them  all  with  his  ironical  speeches,  and  bided  his  time. 
If  Bismarck's  idea  was  that  the  only  hope  for  German  unity 
came  through  accepting  the  King  of  Prussia  as  ordained 
of  heaven. 

In  his  arguments,  he  ignored  the  masses,  the  villagers,  the 
workers,  the  busy-bees,  the  regard  for  individual  rights. 
His  whole  programme  seemed  to  the  masses  to  be  anti-Christ 
in  conception,  that  is  to   say,  it  harked  back  to   political 
paganism. 

If  It  is  very  difficult  for  an  American  to  comprehend  this 
Prussian  conception  of  Divine-right,  as  a  political  principle 
— but  it  should  not  be  difficult  from  the  point  of  human  ex- 
perience. Bismarck  had  no  illusions  concerning  the  power 
of  the  average  man,  and  he  held  that  the  phrase  "the  people" 
was  used  by  every  political  quack  in  Europe  for  any  one  of 
a  thousand  selfish  motives. 

Bismarck  had  absolutely  no  faith  in  the  power  of  the  aver- 
age man  to  govern  himself — much  less  to  govern  others! — 
or  faith  in  the  average  man  doing  anything  above  the  aver- 
age, outside  his  own  small  trade  or  craft. 

HUH 

If  Americans  are  accustomed  to  make  much  of  an  alleged 
saying  of  Lincoln:  "No  man  is  good  enough  to  govern  an- 
other without  that  man's  consent."  It  is  all  a  beautiful 
dream,  false  in  theory  and  false  in  fact,  belied  by  every  rec- 
ord since  the  Lord  drove  Adam  and  Eve  out  of  the  Garden 
of  Eden. 
Beginning  with  that  stupendous  episode,  certain  it  is  that 


Bismarck    Supports   His    King  113 

this  act  of  government  was  not  carried  out  with,  but  against 
the  will  of  the  ruled;  and  the  point  at  issue  was  not  the 
supreme  goodness  of  the  ruler,  but  the  power  to  station  an 
angel  with  a  flaming  sword  at  the  gates,  toward  which  Adam 
ever  after  looked  backward  with  longing  eyes — but  looked 
in  vain! 

TJln  the  innumerable  dynasties  of  Babylon,  Nineveh,  Egypt, 
Greece,  Arabia,  Armenia,  what  man  ruled  who  did  not  force 
his  leadership? 

It  is  not  in  the  nature  of  human  beings  to  accept  new  ideas 
without  hostile  objection. 

This  holds  true  also  in  the  evolution  of  governments,  for  all 
life  is  founded  on  struggle,  and  the  man  who  would  rule 
must  force  his  leadership  or  remain  unknown. 
H  Lincoln  is  absolutely  in  error,  and  his  much-quoted  words 
are  folly.  It  is  not  a  question  of  goodness,  or  badness,  or 
fitness,  on  part  of  the  man  who  has  the  ambition  to  rule, 
but  it  is  very  much  a  question  of  his  courage,  his  craft  or 
his  cunning  in  compelling  others  to  do  his  bidding. 
Julius  Caesar  was  not  selected  to  rule,  but  he  selected  him- 
self; and  so  did  Charlemagne,  and  Bismarck — and  so  Lin- 
coln, himself. 

II  If  some  concession  to  the  democratic  system  is  sought  on 
the  ground  that  the  voice  of  the  people  loudly  "called"  Lin- 
coln, then  it  is  to  be  set  up  that  Lincoln  on  his  part  was 
one  of  the  shrewdest  political  log-rollers  this  nation  has  ever 
seen;  and  if  he  did  not  originate  the  canvass  that  busies 
itself  kissing  the  babies,  congratulating  the  wives  and  shak- 
ing hands  with  the  farmers,  then  at  least  Lincoln  was  an  apt 
pupil. 

It  is  inconceivable  that,  without  his  own  high  ambition,  his 
long  and  painstaking  endeavors  to  trim  sail  to  every  favor- 
ing gale  (for  example  his  shifting  positions  on  the  slavery 
question),  he  would  have  been  nominated  for  President  of 
these  United  States. 

H     M     H 

If  It  is  an  amiable  conceit  of  human  nature,  looking  back- 
ward, to  profess  to  see  what  it  blindly  ignored,  looking  for- 
ward; and  go  to  any  penitentiary  in  America,  ask  the 


114  Blood   and    Iron 

convicts,  and  you  will  find  that,  according  to  the  stories, 
there  are  no  guilty  men  behind  the  bars;  invariably  a  pecu- 
liar complication  of  circumstances  enabled  the  guilty  man 
to  escape,  and  justice  was  thereupon  avenged  by  a  human 
sacrifice;  likewise  in  the  United  States  Senate  or  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  ask  whom  you  please,  "How  came 
you  to  hold  your  seat?"  and  you  will  find  no  ambitious  man. 
Some  were  forced  to  stand  against  their  protests;  others 
were  away  traveling  when  word  was  received,  by  telegraph. 
"You  have  been  elected!"  Still  others  appealed  to  the  nom- 
inating committee,  "For  the  love  of  God  desist!" — but  jn 
vain. 

Thus,  without  raising  a  finger  to  direct  the  movement  of 
events,  our  leaders  were  selected  by  an  omnipotent  democ- 
racy to  occupy  the  seats  of  the  mighty. 

U  Truly,  no  man  is  good  enough  to  rule  another  without  that 
other  man's  consent!  Recast  in  terms  of  human  experience, 
it  would  mean  that  we  would  go  unruled;  for  no  man  yet  has 
willingly  selected  his  ruler,  but  has  had  dominion  over  him 
thrust  upon  him — even  as  Bismarck  expressed  his  right  to 
rule,  backed  by  blood  and  iron. 

Such  is  human  nature  since  the  world  began;  otherwise  why 
was  Christ,  the  gentlest  ruler  of  all  time,  brought  to  the 
tree;  Socrates  forced  to  drink  the  hemlock  by  the  very  wise 
justice  of  his  day;  and  Columbus  called  a  madman  because 
he  wished  to  rule  men's  minds  with  a  new  truth,  showing 
clearly  that  the  world  is  not  square  or  flat,  but  round  like 
a  ball? 

U  Bismarck  had  the  real  clue — and  forced  his  purpose 
through  the  power  of  his  commanding  personality. 

BUS! 

29 

In  spite  of  the  dyke-captain's  denunciation  of 
French  Constitutionalism,  King  Fr:  Wm.  IV 
marches  with  the  Democrats! 

UThe  uprising  of  '48  was  primarily  a  students'  demonstra- 
tion; the  hot-bloods  of  the  universities,  aided  by  various 
political  enthusiasts,  were  intent  on  doing  something — and 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  115 

doing  it  right  away.  There  had  been  a  preliminary  meeting 
at  Heidelberg,  and  this  led  to  the  Frankfort  Convention; 
600  disputatious  delegates  were  going  to  build  a  liberal  Ger- 
man constitution — at  last! 

If  Thus,  between  1815  and  1848  German  Unity  had  been 
stimulated  by  a  dozen  causes,  religious,  commercial,  literary, 
social — but  the  political  lagged,  for  the  fact  is  that  about 
the  last  thing  a  man  learns  is  to  govern  himself. 
There  was  a  rising  sense  of  National  faith,  as  predicted  by 
Arndt,  the  poet  of  German  brotherhood;  also  the  call  of 
blood,  based  on  language;  likewise  a  deep  yearning,  as  yet 
unsatisfied,  for  a  constitutional  form  of  government,  as 
against  the  warring,  insolent  39  states. 

If  By  1848  there  were  Constitutions  in  23  of  the  states;  many 
of  these  documents  illiberal  to  be  sure;  but  nevertheless  a 
step  in  representative  government. 

II  But  the  Germans  are  a  peculiar  people.  They  wish  to 
refer  everything  to  ultimate  philosophical  causes;  hence  the 
fruitless  debates  of  the  Frankfort  Convention,  in  which  all 
manner  of  prospective  Constitutions  were  tried  by  the  for- 
mal rules  of  philosophy  and  ethics.  Such  questions  as  "What 
is  a  Federal  state?"  were  angrily  debated,  and  the  changes 
rung  on  "federation  of  states." 

•    •    • 

fl  After  worlds  of  talking,  unseen  hands  decided  to  offer  to 
some  powerful  prince  the  German  crown.  How  is  that  for 
democrats?  William  IV  was  the  man  selected. 
Tf  Prodded  by  Bismarck,  who  was  always  explosive  and  satir- 
ical about  democratic  crowns,  William  spunkily  refused  to 
"pick  a  crown  out  of  the  gutter!"  His  dignity,  as  a  Hohen- 
zollern  was  offended;  but  Bismarck  was  playing  for  larger 
stakes.  William  now  went  about  canvassing  the  German 
princes  for  a  crown;  twenty-eight  replied,  one  way  or  an- 
other; others,  sticking  to  selfish  interests,  made  no  acknowl- 
edgment. 

II  Now  Bismarck,  bellowing  like  a  mastiff,  set  up  the  cry 
that  if  William  accepted  that  democratic  crown  out  of  the 
Frankfort  gutter,  Prussia  would  become  involved  in  civil 
war.  And  it  was  a  fact!  The  old-line  Prussian  military 


n6  Blood   and   Iron 

aristocracy  wanted  no  "democratic  gold,  from  the  gutter, 
melted  down  with  their  old  aristocratic  gold  of  Frederick 
the  Great" — and  as  a  matter  of  fact,  could  you  blame  them  ? 
Were  you  there,  at  the  time,  and  of  the  land-holding  privi- 
leged class,  you  too  would  have  been  up  in  arms. 
UGet  this  straight:  William's  idea  of  "United  Germany" 
simply  meant  that  there  should  be  a  United  Germany  com- 
pounded of  the  thirty-nine  clashing  states,  provided  Wil- 
liam's beloved  Prussia  and  not  the  detested  Austria  could 
front  the  movement. 

fl  Despite  all  the  noble  souls  who  write  poetry  on  brother- 
hood (and  Germany  has  her  patriots,  God  knows!),  the 
irony  of  fate  is  such  that  all  human  alignments  of  a  polit- 
ical nature  must  at  some  stage  be  spattered  with  mud. 
flYou  see,  henceforth  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  the  realiza- 
tion of  this  much-prized  but  elusive  and  seemingly  impos- 
sible Unity  was  to  become  more  and  more  a  game  of  politics 
in  which  the  stakes  were  kingdoms,  principalities,  riches  and 
honors  unnumbered.  In  all  card-games  the  result  is  not 
known  till  the  last  card  is  played;  and  in  the  present  case 
the  game  was  to  be  protracted  twenty-four  years.  Chips 
were  flung  about  in  huge  stacks,  now  piled  on  the  Austrian 
side,  now  on  the  Prussian;  and  finally,  it  was  to  break  up 
in  a  fight,  in  which  Prussia  had  to  tip  over  the  table,  vio- 
lently seize  the  spoils,  batter  heads  right  and  left,  and  beat 
off  rival  players  with  needle-guns. 

fl  Come,  come,  there  is  no  need  of  claiming  too  much  for 
human  nature.  The  grand  prize  was  to  be  gained,  ulti- 
mately, by  seizure!  Even  the  sober,  common-sense  William 
I,  to  whom  it  finally  fell  to  be  crowned  German  Emperor, 
saw  the  true  situation  early,  after  the  church-building  Wil- 
liam IV  had  been  gathered  to  his  fathers.  You  will  hear 
more  of  that  as  we  go  along. 

When  all  intriguing,  all  card-stacking,  all  smiling,  all  smooth 
speeches  no  longer  serve  to  conceal  the  real  end  of  this 
amazing  game  of  international  politics,  as  between  Prussia 
and  Austria,  then  the  thing  to  do  is  to  bring  on  "blood  and 
iron."  The  very  human  end  that  Bismarck  always  had  in 
mind  was  German  liberation  and  Unity,  by  driving  the  Na- 
tion's enemies  beyond  the  borders. 


Bismarck    Supports   His    King  117 

fl  The  best  title  to  lands,  the  surest,  the  most  incontrovertible 
— let  purists  and  pietists  rage  as  they  may — is  the  sharp 
edge  of  the  sword. 
We  shall  see  all  that  more  clearly  as  the  bloody  years  go  by. 

H     H     11 

TJIn  the  critical  year  '48,  democratic  mobs  chased  that  old 
aristocrat  and  king-maker  Metternich  out  of  Vienna.  Hun- 
gary, Bohemia  and  other  intervening  principalities  went  mad 
with  excitement  about  "Liberty !"  South  Germany  was  in  a 
turmoil. 

William  IV  had  again  practically  promised  a  Constitution, 
and  had  ordered  the  troops  from  Berlin;  he  placed  a  sign  on 
his  castle  "National  Property."  At  this  time  the  king  let  slip 
these  fateful  words,  "Prussia  is  to  be  dissolved  in  Germany!" 
Bismarck,  pained  beyond  expression,  sent  a  letter  to  the  King, 
full  of  expressions  of  loyalty.  The  King  kept  the  letter  on 
his  desk  all  summer. 

U  The  giant  continued  to  protest.  He  now  first  used  a  sub- 
sidized press,  called  well-known  men  to  write  for  the  "North 
Prussian  Gazette." 

For  all  this,  he  was  dubbed  "Junker,"  "Hot  Head,"  "Reaction- 
ary," but  he  thundered  away  like  a  battleship  in  action. 

HUH 

fiThe  King  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Liberals.  Bismarck  re- 
garded this  as  a  frightful  situation.  Bismarck,  of  the  Old 
Regime,  stood  by  the  landlords  and  the  titled  folk.  He  had 
prodigious  pride  of  station,  hated  to  see  the  King  make  a 
fool  of  himself  about  paper  Constitutions, 
fl  In  Berlin,  along  in  March,  there  were  amazing  scenes.  The 
democrats  were  crazy  for  blood;  William  shrank  with  horror 
against  fighting  his  beloved  Berliners.  But  this  son,  the  fu- 
ture William  I,  who  twenty-four  years  later  was  to  gain  the 
imperial  German  crown,  was  not  so  squeamish.  The  young 
prince  gained  the  popular  title  "Cartridge-box  prince,"  equiv- 
alent to  saying  that  he  was  willing  to  blaze  away  at  "be- 
loved Berliners,"  or  at  any  other  citizens  insane  with  political 
excitements  hazardous  to  "Divine-right." 
\  It  is  true  that  on  March  18th  this  romantic  William  IV  did 


n8  Blood    and   Iron 

indeed  enter  into  negotiations  with  the  insurgents;  and — 
think  of  the  mortification  to  one  of  Bismarck's  upper-class 
leanings! — did  indeed  do  no  less  than  wrap  the  German  tri- 
color around  his  body  and  heading  a  democratic  procession 
march  around  the  streets,  even  going  so  far  as  to  make  u 
foolish  speech  in  which  he  extolled  the  glories  of  the  Ger- 
man democratic  revolution. 

fl  Here  we  might  as  well  close  the  book,  were  it  not  for  Bis- 
marck. The  surly  dog  of  a  king's  man  flatly  refused  to  vote 
"Aye!"  in  the  Diet,  where  the  hot-heads  were  intent  on  pass- 
ing resolutions  "commending  the  King  for  his  loyalty  to 
democratic  principles,"  in  marching  'round  town  with  the 
mob.  Bismarck  for  the  time  being  stood  like  a  great  mastiff 
at  bay  before  wolves. 

His  terrific  speech  upholding  royal  prerogative  made  his  early 
and  sudden  fame. 

S     H    H 

U  It  is  a  fact  that  with  all  their  political  ambitions,  and  their 
solemn  belief  that  Germany's  political  future  was  an  open 
book,  the  Radicals  in  Prussia  never  guessed  the  way  events 
were  to  turn  out;  nor  for  that  matter  the  Radicals  never  de- 
sired the  conquest  of  Germany  by  Prussia;  therefore  the  sub- 
sequent astonishing  rise  of  German  Imperialism  through 
Prussian  domination,  would  have  proved  a  most  surprising 
revelation  had  the  patriots  of  1806  to  1848  returned  from  the 
other  world,  say  in  1870,  to  view  Prussia's  rise  to  glory. 

•    •  .  • 

U  The   political    uprisings    of    1848    had    parallels    in   Italy, 

France,  Spain,  and  Germany;  and  the  excesses  cleared  the 

way  for  wiser  action,  in  years  to  come. 

fi  "The  frenzy  was  a  sort  of  tottering  bridge  between  the 

French    1789-93    idea   of   democracy    (that   has   to   do    with 

bloodshed  and  violence)  and  the  purified  conception  expressed 

in  modern  constitutional  democracy." 

U  The  German  democratic  uprisings  of  1820,  '30  and  '48  were 

planned  to  win  a  certain  type  of  civil  liberty.    They  failed. 

The  question  was  "equality,"  as  well  as  popular  "machinery" 


Bismarck   Supports   His   King  ng 

of  representation.  How  was  it  to  be  brought  about  ?  Modern 
"parliamentarism"  had  not  as  yet  been  involved. 
fi  The  patriots  of  '48  had  their  Jacobin  clubs  in  mild  imita- 
tion of  the  French  Revolution.  Baden  alone  had  400,  with  a 
membership  of  20,000.  "Every  tavern  and  brewery,  (Dahl- 
inger,  German  Revolution  of  '49,  p.  33),  became  a  seat  of 
democratic  propaganda." 

See,  there  stands  the  mighty  Hecker, 

A  feather  in  his  hat, 

There  stands  the  friend  of  the  people, 

Yearning  for  the  tyrants'  blood; 

Big  boots  with  thick  soles, 

Sword  and  pistol  by  his  side. 

fl  Copied  from  French  models  was  the  word  "Citizen."  We 
hear  of  Citizen  Brentano,  Citizen  Franz  Sigel,  Citizen  Osten- 
haus,  Citizen  Schimmelpfennig;  some  of  these  leaders  were 
extremely  radical;  but  Brentano  endeavored  to  keep  the 
Revolution  from  becoming  a  record  of  lawlessness  after  the 
French  Revolution  type.  (Dahlinger,  p.  100). 
We  cannot  go  into  the  various  battles  fought  and  lost. 
Many  of  the  leaders  were  exiled,  others  shot.  The  patriots 
were  as  a  rule  young  collegians,  ambitious  to  rise  in  life,  but 
sincerely  holding  to  modified  conceptions  of  French  Consti- 
tutionalism. There  were  a  large  number  of  journalists  in 
the  thick  of  the  struggle,  also  professors  in  high  schools. 
These  chosen  leaders,  by  various  oratorical  tricks,  drew  po- 
litical and  social  malcontents  from  every  walk  of  life. 
1J  In  the  end,  Prussian  troops  put  down  the  patriots. 

11     11     11 

fl  In  '48,  all  kings  were  under  suspicion;  it  made  no  difference 
whether  the  king  was  a  good  king  or  a  bad  king;  a  king  was 
a  king,  and  all  kings  were  bad. 

The  younger  generation,  especially  became  morbid  over  the 
word  "Liberty!"  What  it  really  meant,  in  '48,  was  that 
human  nature  should  restrain  itself,  in  order  that  all  men 
might,  immediately,  enter  into  so-called  God-given  political 
rights. 
The  situation  was  somewhat  analogous  to  that  created  after 


I2O  Blood   and    Iron 

the  Civil  War,  in  the  United  States.  Certain  political  fa- 
natics, weeping  over  the  Negroes,  now  demanded  universal 
suffrage,  literally,  for  the  slaves,  and  in  secret  saw  that  by 
controlling  the  South,  a  "Black  Republic"  might  be  set  up, 
side  by  side  with  our  "White  Republic." 

fl  Fraternity  and  equality — that  was  the  cry  in  '48 — glossed 
over  by  politico-religious  glamour,  expressed  in  the  idea  that 
men  "ought"  do  thus  and  so,  and  therefore  "a  people's  king" 
was  in  order.  The  people  were  to  crown  themselves. 
For  a  thousand  years  the  accepted  political  doctrine  had  been 
that  kings  held  office  by  Divine-right,  but  now  orators  of  the 
day  harangued  mobs  proclaiming  the  literal  belief  that  the 
voice  of  the  people  is  the  voice  of  God. 

While,  thus,  the  new  apostles  ridiculed  the  old  idea  of  Di- 
vine-right, as  attached  to  the  acts  of  monarch,  leaders  of  the 
people  saw  no  inconsistency  in  asserting  attributes  of  po- 
litical divinity  in  the  doings  of  the  common  people.  Thus, 
a  species  of  nebulous  politico-religious  humanism  was  pic- 
tured as  the  highest  expression  of  political  philosophy. 
The  individual  wished  to  come  into  his  own  and  the  quicker 
the  better.  Reformers  shocked  landed  proprietors,  titled 
folk  and  office-holders  under  kings,  by  demanding  uncondi- 
tional surrender  of  the  machinery  of  government;  zealots 
urged  revolts  against  all  manner  of  constituted  authority. 
The  point  was  to  gain  for  the  barber,  the  tailor,  the  shoe- 
maker and  the  blacksmith  more  life,  more  political  experi- 
ence, more  freedom  of  choice — and  right  on  the  next  tick 
of  the  clock! 

U  There  is  this  about  it:  that  the  Frankfort  Convention  of- 
fered to  William  IV  the  "People's  Crown"  as  a  direct  symbol 
of  belief  in  political  idealism,  not  necessarily,  however,  the 
political  idealism  that  tolerates  a  king  but  instead  uses  him 
as  a  popular  signboard. 

The  Convention  held  that  German  unity  "ought  by  right"  to 
be  established;  therefore  "once  the  grand  Idea  was  set 
afloat"  the  cause  "must  by  moral  right  come  to  pass." 
H  Probably  never  before  in  the  world  was  there  formulated 
an  outright,  wide-spread  expression  of  greater  political 
idealism  by  men  who  called  themselves  patriots.  There  is  a 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  121 

noble  side  to  the  sentiment,  heightened  the  more  as  we  real- 
ize the  inevitable  delusion  of  it  all,  translated  into  terms  of 
human  selfishness. 

Germany,  so  the  zealots  proclaimed,  should  by  blood  and 
language  be  united;  and  in  this  respect  orators  of  the  hour 
were  correct. 

Germany  had  a  manifest  destiny,  the  speakers  continued, 
but  in  this  respect  they  were  guided  by  faith  rather  than 
by  experience.  At  least,  the  momentary  end  of  "manifest 
destiny"  was  clearly  the  political  function;  to  be  one  and 
united. 
U  So  far  good. 

m   @    H 

fl  Then  why  "should  not"  this  noble  German  Idea  be  "ac- 
cepted"? The  word  Idea  was  usually  presented  with  a  capi- 
tal letter,  in  form  of  personification,  so  real  had  the  thing 
become  to  German  political  orators. 

Certainly  every  German  was  ready  to  testify  that  National 
Unity  had  been  the  one  political  dream  of  generations  past 
and  gone. 

Had  not  the  old  wandering  minstrels  sung  of  the  Father- 
land, alas,  too  long  delayed  by  miserable  human  selfishness ! 
German  bull-headedness  insisted  on  insularity,  on  individual- 
ism, on  particularism,  on  standing  each  petty  monarch  in 
his  corner,  with  farce-comedy  courtiers  bowing  and  scraping 
while  the  rights  of  the  peasant  were  forgotten.  Assuredly, 
the  day  had  come  for  this  folly  to  cease.  Then  in  Heaven's 
name,  why  not  a  United  Germany — here  and  now? 

H     H     IS 

11  The  petty  passions  of  rival  princes  acted  as  a  bar  to  the 

acceptance  of  the  glorious  National  Idea,  spelled  with  the 

big  "I." 

Intense    particularisms    preferred    loyalty    to    local    princes, 

fashions,  customs,  dialects  rather  than  to  lose  the  old  ways 

in  the  larger  life  of  the  German  Nation. 

H  But  Bismarck  did  not  lose  heart. 


122  Blood    and    Iron 

CHAPTER  IX 

&a  iflurh  %  Jflura?  for 
so 

We  will  never  get  at  Bismarck  through  a  study  of 
the  interplay  of  politics;  suppose  we  state  his  case 
in  terms  of  human  nature? 

UFrom  this  time  on,  the  shelves  are  freighted  with  volume 
after  volume  of  German  political  jargon,  forming  a  bewil- 
dering diagonal  of  forces  crossing  and  recrossing  in  thou- 
sands the  tangled  threads.  Bismarck's  presence  runs 
throughout,  but  it  is  a  long  and  complex  story,  hard  to  com- 
prehend and  difficult  to  compress  without  sacrificing  import- 
ant details. 

U  We  find  "Grand  Germans"  against  "Petty  Germans"; 
Grimm,  the  philologist,  has  his  say  against  Simson,  the  jur- 
ist; Arndt,  the  poet,  against  Welcker,  the  publicist;  the 
Frankfort  parliament  offering  its  paper  crown  to  the  King 
of  Prussia,  imploring  him  to  become  a  democratic  liberator 
and  unifier;  and  on  the  other  hand  we  hear  Bismarck  in  the 
Berlin  Diet,  urging  the  king  to  stand  firm  for  the  Old  Re- 
gime; arks  of  free-speech  from  Polish  insurgents,  also  ill- 
advised  youth  waving  banners  of  blood;  mobs  in  the  Berlin 
streets,  whiffs  of  grapeshot  here  and  there  to  clear  the  air; 
John  of  Austria  urging  something  and  the  Prince  Consort  of 
England  advising,  post-haste,  the  kings  of  Prussia,  Bavaria, 
Saxony  and  Wuertemberg;  the  Assembly  manufacturing 
Magna  Chartas,  after  noisy  clashes  of  opinion. 
11  "There  is  not  enough  practical  sense  behind  all,"  says  Bis- 
marck, "to  build  a  political  chicken-coop,  to  say  nothing  of  an 
empire."  Then,  the  patriots,  so-called,  leave  for  America, 
worn  out  with  waiting  for  some  new  freedom  set  down  on 
paper;  and  of  the  motley  crew,  not  one  is  sufficiently  wise, 
or  strong  enough  to  make  head  or  tail  of  the  complex  situa- 
tion. Barricades  are  thrown  up,  artillery  plays  upon  the 
mobs,  and  general  blood-letting  follows;  thousands  of  lives 
are  snuffed  out,  to  be  charged  up  as  advance  sacrifices 
for  political  cohesion.  Hapsburger  against  Hohenzollern, 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  123 

Protestant   against   Catholic,   Ultramontanes   beholding   the 
reign  of  Anti-Christ;  Guelphs  and  Wittelsbachs,  protesting 
their  own  peculiar  and  ancient  lineage  against  self-seeking 
latter-day  upstart  aristocrats! 
U  And  the  problem  grew  darker  as  the  months  went  by. 

•    •    • 

flYou  may  read  till  you  are  dizzy  and  then  stand  back  and 
try  to  get  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  complicated  quarrels  of 
the  Diet;  the  vagaries  of  Frankfort  or  Berlin;  the  brawls 
of  this  poet,  that  student,  editor,  publicist,  or  princeling; 
with  soldiers  of  fortune  hovering  around  waiting,  like  vul- 
tures that  have  already  a  whiff  of  the  carrion,  from  afar. 
Instead  of  a  bird's-eye,  the  incoherent  mass  of  details  comes 
piecemeal,  and  you  get  the  toad's-eye  view; — till  we  apply 
the  simple  idea  that  behind  it  all  is  elemental  human  nature, 
with  politics  as  a  mere  frame  to  the  picture. 
If  Look  on  Bismarck  at  this  moment  as  one  dealing  with 
forces  of  human  nature,  the  clash  of  many  minds,  ending  by 
dominating  over  one  and  all,  years  hence,  through  his  own 
inherent  sagacity  as  a  human  being  against  other  and 
weaker  members  of  his  kind — and  we  get  at  once  a  signifi- 
cant conception  of  the  greatness  of  Bismarck's  mentality, 
also  of  his  innate  craft,  enabling  him  to  triumph  over  a 
thousand  oblique  forces,  many  of  them  firmly  entrenched, 
and  from  a  logical  point  fully  as  defensible  as  were  his  own 
peculiar  conceptions. 

fl  It  was  not,  after  all,  what  this  man  or  that  prince  or  some 
other  ruler  thought,  but  what  Bismarck  thought,  that  turned 
the  balance. 

A  hundred  instances  could  be  offered  to  show  that  the  men 
Bismarck  was  fighting  had  the  better  part  of  the  argument, 
as  mere  argument;  but  between  opinion  and  making  that 
opinion  stick  is  a  wide  gulf — however  logical  may  be  the 
argument. 

fl  Bismarck  was  for  the  ensuing  twenty  years  pictured  as  a 
noisy  disturber,  but  he  was  shrewd,  very  shrewd.  He  could 
call  a  man  "liar,"  "thief,"  "scoundrel,"  "impostor,"  in  virile 
speechmaking,  or  could  pass  him  up  with  a  shrug,  all  the 
while  keeping  a  cold  eye  on  the  main  chance,  and  in  the  end 


124  Blood    and    Iron 

getting  his  own  way  because  he  was  strong  enough  to  get 
his  way — and  that  is  all  the  logic  there  is  in  the  situation. 


31 

This  miracle  he  did  indeed  perform;  he  turned  back 
the  political  clock  to  feudal  days  and  gloriously  set 
up  "Divine-right,"  in  the  face  of  the  intensely 
modern  cry,  "Let  the  People  Rule!" 

fl  Bismarck's  amazing  career  affords  a  classical  instance  of 

what  a  strong  man  can  do,  even  against  the  very  spirit  of 

his  time! 

So  much  the  worse  for  that  Zeitgeist!    The  jade  had  to  come 

to  him,  at  last,  completely  subdued,  as  in  the  "Taming  of  the 

Shrew." 

fl  As   King's   Man,    Bismarck   now   preached   "Divine-right" 

in  an  age  of  democratic  ideas. 

Thrones  were   falling  everywhere;   the   inflammatory   ideas 

of  the  French  Revolution  had  wrested  from  monarchs  the 

form,  if  not  the  substance,  of  constitutional  liberties  for  the 

masses. 

The  people  were  clamoring  for  they  knew  not  what;  at  any 

rate  for  some  new  experiment  in  the  quest  for  happiness, 

which  they  believed  could  be  attained  through  new  forms  of 

government.    Bismarck  fought  the  new  order,  and  as  late  as 

A.   D.   1870,   restated   the   seemingly   worn-out   doctrine   of 

"Divine-right."       How    did    he    accomplish    this    political 

miracle  ? 

U  A  strong  leader,  by  tireless  repetition  of  some  idea,  finally 

brings  about  faith  in  that  idea.    It  does  not  follow  that  this 

leader  must  necessarily  be  wiser  than  the  masses.     It  is 

always  his  will  to  power,  rather  than  the  inherent  validity 

of  his  ideas. 

If  First,  he  stands  alone  with  his  idea,  whatever  it  may  be. 

Finally,  one   person   is  convinced?     This   is  the  beginning. 

Well,  if  one,  why  not  two,  then  ten,  then  a  hundred,  or  a 

thousand,  or  ten  thousand? 

If  And  so  the  wonder  grows. 

^  At  last,  our  stubborn  man  with  the  idea  is  believed!  He  now 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  125 

has  his  long-awaited  day  to  prove  the  force  of  his  contribu- 
tion to  human  welfare. 

IT  There  is  a  species  of  religious  glamour  over  the  old  man's 
basic  conception  of  respect  for  kings.  The  word  king,  for 
Bismarck,  spells  faith  in  discipline,  obedience,  loyalty  to 
chosen  leader — as  against  excesses  sure  to  follow  in  turn- 
ing over  the  Government  to  the  rabble,  according  to  the 
idea  of  the  French  Revolution.  There  is  this  condition  to  be 
made  here:  that  Bismarck  undoubtedly  leaned  as  far  in  one 
direction  as  the  old-line  French  Revolutionists  did  in  an- 
other; Bismarck  was  an  extremist  no  less  than  Danton, 
Marat,  Robespierre.  But  there  is  also  this  distinction,  in 
Bismarck's  favor:  He  was  a  great  constructive  statesman 
and  the  French  agitators  turned  out  to  be  but  assassins  and 
political  fools. 

1fWe  spare  no  one  in  this  analysis,  neither  Bismarck  nor 
Robespierre.  Therefore,  we  boldly,  here  and  now,  call  your 
attention  to  a  certain  strange  fallacy  in  all  political  ideals. 
flThe  people  expect  some  new  form,  or  change  of  govern- 
ment, to  make  them  happy  and  free.  The  machinery  of 
legislation  is  the  thing.  It  is  proclaimed  the  great  leveler. 
1J  Thus  men  eagerly  try  all  manner  of  political  enterprises, 
believing  that  ultimately  in  some  plan  of  government,  social 
equality  will  result.  In  the  light  of  the  anomaly  that  in 
spite  of  our  efforts,  we  persist  in  reverence  for  "the  good 
old"  days,  as  against  the  iniquities  of  the  moment,  it  is  clear 
that  either  we  deceive  ourselves,  or  are  forever  wandering 
about  in  a  fool's  paradise. 

SI     SI     II 

If  Bismarck  at  least  does  not  justify  cynical  damnation.  He 
was  intensely  human,  and  so  was  the  King  of  Prussia.  It  is 
playing  with  race  prejudice  to  call  Prussia,  after  the  French 
fashion,  "That  robber  Prussia." 

U  Nations  act  as  do  men  individually,  are  swayed  by  forms 
of  pride,  passion  and  prejudice.  If  every  nation  that  robbed 
or  stole  should  return  its  loot  of  land,  to  whom  would  it  ulti- 
mately go? 

H  The  United  States  would  not,  at  least,  now  be  in  possession 
of  California.  But  for  that  matter,  the  Spaniards  stole  her 


126  Blood   and    Iron 

from  the  Indians,  and  the  Indians  from  the  Aztecs,  and  the 
Aztecs  from  we  know  not  whom.  Always  then,  history  justi- 
fies herself  with  the  will  to  power — as  manifested  by  the 
strongest! 

If  Take  it  by  and  large,  this  miracle  he  did  indeed  perform : 
He  turned  back  the  political  clock  of  Time  to  Feudal  dayB, 
and  gloriously  set  up  "Divine-right,"  in  the  face  of  the  in- 
tensely modern  cry,  "Let  the  people  rule!" 


32 

Secret   chamber  in   this   strange   man's   heart;   the 
master  at  work  for  United  Germany. 

If  The  great  Bismarck,  during  his  long  and  turbulent  career, 
as  a  rule  refused  to  remain  loyal  to  party  affiliations. 
The  moment  a  party-theory  no  longer  seemed  expedient,  the 
Prussian  Junker  reckoned  neither  on  political  friendship  nor 
on  political  antipathy. 

His  whole  life,  he  was  engaged  in  endeavoring  to  persuade 
others  to  adopt  his  policies,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  op- 
posed policies  might  be  supported  by  as  much  if  not  even  by 
more  logic.  Bismarck  always  justified  his  opportunism  by 
saying  that  his  sense  of  duty  was  superior  to  his  private 
feelings  of  love  or  hate;  however,  his  attitude  was  uniformly 
directed  for  or  against  conditions  in  proportion  as,  to  his 
mind,  they  were  charged  with  good  or  evil  for  his  beloved 
Prussia. 

Although  one  of  the  world's  greatest  among  amiable  despots, 
Bismarck  always  held  himself  to  be  at  once  free  from  preju- 
dice and  under  the  hand  of  God.  Even  on  this  high  ground, 
it  would  still  be  easy  to  show  (by  many  startling  episodes  in 
Bismarck's  career)  well-nigh  innumerable  changes  of  front 
that,  to  the  average  mind,  must  pass  as  inconsistencies. 
If  Get  clearly  in  mind,  then,  this  giant's  political  attitudes  of 
gross  contradiction,  as  between  promise  and  performance — 
otherwise  we  will  miss  the  essence  of  Bismarck's  genius  as 
a  statesman  and  his  peculiar  glory  as  a  man  large  enough 
to  stand  beside  Caesar. 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  127 

U  Now  here  is  the  master-key,  unlocking  every  door  in  the 
secret  chambers  of  his  heart:  Bismarck,  all  his  long  life,  kept 
himself  in  power  by  his  consummate  knowledge  of  human 
nature. 

Shakespeare  dealt  with  men,  on  paper,  making  them  march 
this  way  or  that  at  the  behest  of  his  immortal  genius. 
Bismarck  dealt  with  men  in  the  open  arena  of  life,  had  no 
way  of  controlling  their  actions  except  by  the  inspiration  of 
his  own  practical,  constructive  genius. 

It  is  one  thing  to  control  a  man's  actions,  on  paper;  wholly 
another — and  a  greater  triumph,  is  it  not? — to  master  man's 
ways  in  the  market  place,  making  those  around  you  do  not 
necessarily  what  they  think  they  ought,  but  do  what  you 
wish. 

Thus  in  some  senses  Bismarck  appears  in  the  figure  of  the 
superman;  for  there  is  absolutely  no  question  that  on  many 
occasions  he  forced  strong  men  to  do  his  bidding,  squarely 
against  their  individual  preferences! 

U  This  huge  bulk,  this  deep-drinking,  gluttonous  Bismarck, 
this  world-defying  voice,  raged  and  stormed  through  his 
eighty-three  years  of  life — making  little  men's  souls  shrink 
in  fear — and  ever  the  essence  of  his  genius  was  for  align- 
ments with  men,  or  against  them,  using  this  human  clay  ulti- 
mately for  his  own  peculiar  ends,  as  the  potter  molds  the 
mud.  He  knew  too  that  despite  the  old  German  family  and 
tribal  feuds,  the  Germans  are  brothers;  standing  apart  it  is 
true  at  this  hour,  fighting  each  other;  yet  the  day  is  to  come 
when  Bismarck  will  triumph  in  his  Germany,  one  and  united. 
It  mattered  not,  he  would  make  friends  with  his  deadly 
enemy,  if  such  a  step  seemed  advisable  to  carry  out  that 
cherished  plan  for  a  free  and  united  Germany. 
If  he  could  not  bend  men  to  his  will  by  logic,  he  tried  flat- 
tery, and  if  that  failed  he  threatened  war,  and  the  war  came, 
too,  but  not  till  Bismarck  was  good  and  ready.  He  took  his 
own  time,  made  preparations  that  defied  disaster,  then  moved 
forward  and  swept  his  enemies  off  the  face  of  the  earth. 
H  Thus,  there  was  always  evidences  of  peculiar  precaution, 
even  in  Bismarck's  boldest  strokes.  He  never  forgot  himself, 


128  Blood   and    Iron 

never  did  things  by  halves.  It  might  take  a  week  or  a  year, 
or  ten  yearg,  that  mattered  not  to  Bismarck;  in  the  end,  he 
would  bring  his  wishes  to  pass.  He  never  courted  failure 
by  hastening  with  some  incomplete  plan;  but  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  Fate,  Bismarck  abided  his  time.  Obliged  to  sur- 
mount tremendous  obstacles,  often  set  back,  in  the  end  he 
carried  everything  by  force  before  him. 

flWe  are  here  reminded  of  those  vast  fields  of  snow  seem- 
ingly in  a  state  of  dead  rest,  in  the  higher  Alps,  through 
many  winters  still  secretly  gaining  bulk  and  encroaching  inch 
by  inch  all  unobserved  upon  the  doomed  valley  below;  then, 
at  the  dropping  of  a  mere  pebble,  the  ice  begins  to  slide, 
nor  does  the  dread  avalanche  pause  for  the  sobs  of  the  dying. 
So  behind  Bismarck's  amazing  preparedness  his  oft-times 
long  deferred  but  inevitable  destruction  of  his  enemies  seems 
to  be  something  that  he  borrows  from  the  avalanche.  It 
is  at  once  massive  and  inexorable,  the  power  given  to  but- 
few  master-spirits  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
Uln  political  acumen,  in  administrative  and  executive  capa- 
city Bismarck  measures  up  with  Caesar.  The  smallest  facts 
about  such  as  Bismarck  are  of  more  than  ordinary  interest. 
Too  much  time  cannot  be  spent  on  this  great  character,  in 
an  endeavor  to  understand  the  secret  springs  of  his  mighty 
powers. 

Aside  from  the  mere  biographic  outlines  of  his  career,  the 
man  presents,  in  himself,  a  study  that  deserves  all  the 
thought  that  can  be  put  on  it — in  an  effort  to  set  forth  the 
realism  of  his  mighty  life. 

•    •    • 

S3 

Bismarck  shows  himself  master  at  quelling  a  meet- 
ing, checking  a  mob,  stamping  out  a  rebellion,  and 
heading  off  a  king. 

flAnd  after  the  Frankfort  radicals  found  themselves  unable 
to  make  Bismarck  pick  the  German  crown  "out  of  the  gut- 
ter," they  turned  and  tried  to  establish— what  do  you  think  ? 
— a  republic! 
By  Autumn,  the  forces  of  Revolution  spent  themselves  and 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  129 

Metternich  drove  the  rebels  before  him,  as  the  hurricane 
blows  chaff.  Order  was  re-established  in  Vienna  and  in  the 
Italian  states. 

The  uncompromising  Metternich  restored  the  "Old  Diet," 
originally  ordered  by  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  1815,  as  the 
one  authentic  source  of  political  legitimacy  for  the  clashing 
German  states.  It  was  a  clever  Austrian  by-play. 

H     H     IS 

1f  We  now  return  to  Berlin.  In  May,  the  blood-letting  was 
over,  but  no  prospect  of  political  reform  seemed  immediately 
possible. 

Bismarck  began  using  what  might  be  called  underground 
methods  to  head  off  the  demand  for  that  long-promised  demo- 
cratic Constitution. 

If  Already  the  King  began  to  see  more  clearly.  It  struck  him 
that  this  brazen-faced  giant  might  be  useful,  later  on.  Had 
not  Bismarck  said  in  his  now  widely  quoted  speech:  "Soon 
or  late,  the  God  who  directs  the  battle  will  cast  his  iron 
dice!"  It  gave  His  Majesty  courage! 

1fThe  King  looked  to  right  and  left,  dissolved  one  Diet  after 
the  other,  till  he  had  one  to  suit  him.  Otto  nudged  his  King. 
That  momentary  weakness  of  marching  with  the  democrats 
was  something  His  Majesty  wished  to  forget! 
If  Bismarck's  position  must  be  clearly  set  forth.  He  was  no 
mere  reactionary,  brandishing  his  fists  at  new  leaders,  who 
favored  the  common  people.  He  knew  all  about  this  liberty, 
equality  and  fraternity  business,  from  across  the  Vosges — 
and  he  despised  the  cure-all. 

Here  is  the  idea  in  a  few  words:  Bismarck  was  not  fighting 
political  liberalism,  as  an  end;  instead,  he  protested  with  his 
giant's  strength  at  the  implied  destruction  of  the  Old  Regime. 
If  He  laid  the  revolt  largely  to  the  bureaucratic  system,  which 
he  characterized  as  "The  animal  with  the  pen!" 
He  stood  fast  by  his  good  old  Prussian  dogma,  as  outlined 
in  "I  am  a  Prussian!"  paralleling  "Rule  Britannia,"  and 
other  national  hymns. 

The  song  is  sung  with  wild  martial  vigor,  akin  to  the  furious 
appeal  of  ancient  Polish  melodies: 


JOQ  Blood    and    Iron 

I  am  a  Prussian!  see  my  colors  gleaming — 

The  black-white  standard  floats  before  me  free; 
For  Freedom's  rights,  my  fathers'  heart-blood  streaming, 

Such,  mark  ye,  mean  the  black  and  white  to  me! 
Shall  I  then  prove  a  coward?    I'll  e'er  be  marching  forward! 
Though  day  be  dull,  though  sun  shine  bright  on  me, 
I  am  a  Prussian,  will  a  Prussian  be! 

Sixteen  years  later,  when  endeavoring  with  all  his  strength 
to  bring  about  German  National  unity,  his  "Prussians  we  are 
and  Prussians  we  will  remain"  was  used  against  him  with 
mocking  effect. 

~K         X         K 

1JBy  October,  nerves  were  steadied.  The  King  sent  Gen. 
Wangrel  to  occupy  Berlin  and  disperse  the  radicals — with 
cannon,  if  necessary. 

That  speech  has  the  right  sound;  but  William  has  before 
this  veered  around  many  times,  like  a  weather-vane,  and  may 
he  not  shift  again? 

For  the  instant,  he  stood  for  the  Old  Regime  and  Divine- 
right. 

1[The  following  month  William  appointed  Brandenberg,  an 
old-line  Prussian  aristocrat,  Prime  Minister.  The  siege  of 
Berlin  was  declared;  the  Assembly  protested  but  finally  gave 
in.  Along  in  December,  without  consulting  the  Assembly, 
William  invited  the  states  to  send  delegates  to  Berlin  and 
made  an  alliance  of  three  kings — Prussia,  Saxony  and  Han- 
over. 

II  What  is  going  to  happen  next  ? 


34 

At  last  the  people  have  a  share  in  their  govern- 
ment, but  Bismarck  sees  to  it  that  the  radicals  are 
not  favored. 

fl  William's  "Tri-regal  alliance"  failed  as  fail  it  must  on 
account  of  jealousies.  Then  Wuertemberg  replied  with  a 
"quadruple"  affair,  composed  of  herself,  Hanover,  Bavaria 


Bismarck    Supports   His    King  131 

and  Saxony,  side  by  side,  under  a  constitution  acceptable  to 
Austria.  Quite  a  stroke,  that. 

In  turn,  William  set  up  his  Erfurt  parliament,  March  20, 
1850.  Bismarck  was  fast  becoming  a  "practical  politician." 
Through  deft  stacking  of  the  cards,  the  radical  delegates 
drew  only  the  low  cards,  and  the  Kreuz-Zeitung  crowd  and 
other  ultra-conservatives  were  well  supplied  with  aces  and 
kings. 

Bismarck  naturally  urged  more  concessions  to  the  Prussian 
spirit;  he  tried  also  to  muzzle  the  press  gallery,  calling 
newspapers  "fire-bellows  of  democracy." 

Later,  he  even  started  newspapers  for  his  political  purposes. 
In  this  he  was  not  inconsistent,  merely  logical;  his  attitude 
was  based  on  the  fact  that,  at  this  particular  time,  he  felt 
called  on  to  fight  hostile  editors;  but  made  terms  wherever 
it  seemed  worth  while.  Such  was  the  man's  discriminating 
glance. 

flThe  Erfurt  "tongue  tournament"  Bismarck  called  the 
whole  affair.  He  did  not  oppose  the  King's  position  in  this 
matter,  because,  as  Bismarck  said,  "it  makes  no  difference." 
He  spoke  contemptuously  of  the  mystical  high-flown 
speeches.  Its  "Constitution"  was  quickly  forgotten! 
U  Bismarck's  course  would  have  been  made  somewhat  easier 
had  he  not  openly  refused  to  sit  with  President  Simpson, 
at  the  Erfurt  convention,  denouncing  the  President  as  "a 
converted  Jew!" 

fiThe  convention  broke  up,  to  meet  again  in  Berlin,  where 
a  Prussian  Constitution  was  drawn  up. 

U  Events  moved  rapidly.  Austria  now  stood  forth  for  re- 
sumption of  authority  by  the  Old  Diet,  established  by  the 
Congress  of  Vienna,  while  from  Berlin  one  heard  of  a  plan 
for  a  "restricted  union." 

Talk,  talk,  talk.  Finally,  in  September,  1850,  Austria  in- 
vited Prussia  to  a  seat  in  the  Old  Diet.  Prussia  refused,  and 
the  cat  was  out  of  the  bag. 

It  meant  that  German  Unity  must  come  through  Prussian 
supremacy  and  Austrian  humiliation — otherwise  all  might 
well  be  forgotten. 


132  Blood   and    Iron 

But  Austria  was  by  no  means  so  easily  disposed  of.  There 
was  much  life  and  fighting  blood  in  her  yet! 
If  Bismarck's  opinions  during  his  years  of  preparation  were, 
on  the  whole,  unchanging,  though  often  presented  in  differ- 
ent dress.  In  1848,  he  bitterly  objected  to  the  King's  soft- 
ness in  recalling  his  troops  from  Berlin,  instead  of  definitely 
crushing  the  March  rebellions;  in  '49,  he  stood  steadily  beside 
the  King  in  refusing  the  people's  crown,  from  Frankfort;  in 
1850,  he  deplored  the  Prussian  diplomatic  defeat  at  Olmuetz, 
but  swallowed  his  mortification  because  he  saw  that  Prussia 
was  not  ready  to  strike;  "and  he  thereon  assisted  in  recon- 
ciling his  party  to  a  policy  which  he  deplored." 
This  situation  convinced  Bismarck  that  the  first  duty  of  a 
Prussian  statesman  is  to  strengthen  the  army,  "that  the 
King's  opinions  can  be  upheld  at  home;  likewise  backed  by 
the  mailed  fist,  Prussian  authority  will  be  respected  abroad." 
U"My  idea,"  he  says  in  his  Memoirs,  "was  that  we  ought 
to  prepare  for  war,  but  at  the  same  time  to  send  an  ulti- 
matum to  Austria,  either  to  accept  our  conditions  in  the 
German  question,  or  to  look  out  for  our  attack." 

m   a   H 

11  Thus  out  of  the  Revolution  of  1848,  Prussia  emerged  with 
a  written  Constitution,  establishing  a  legislative  assembly 
and  giving  the  people  a  share  in  their  government. 
If  Bismarck's  inconsistencies?  Yes,  by  the  score,  but  he  was 
playing  a  deep  game  of  politics,  for  his  King,  and  for  his 
beloved  German  Unity.  Always,  you  must  understand  that 
Bismarck  scorned  the  political  Millennium  alleged  to  have 
been  brought  in  by  the  French  Revolution;  with  the  political 
ideas  from  over  the  Vosges  Bismarck  would  have  nothing  to 
do.  That  old  war-cry  "the  people"  made  him  sick!  He  be- 
lieved in  discipline  and  not  in  mob-rule.  But  he  would  not 
rush  unprepared  into  the  war. 

Hit  is  a  fact  that,  in  1850,  Prussia  had  cause  for  war  far 
more  just  than  that  on  which  she  seized  in  1866.     But  Bis- 
marck made  his  famous  anti-war  speech! 
H  "Woe  to  the  statesman  who  does  not  look  about  for  a  rea- 
son for  the  war  that  will  be  valid,  when  the  war  is  over!" 
were  his  astonishing  sentiments. 
U  What  he  really  meant  was  that  Prussia  was  not  just  then 


Bismarck    Supports   His   King  133 

ready  to  fight;  hence,  he  painted  war  as  detestable;  later 
on,  however,  we  shall  see  how  he  looks  upon  war,  when 
Prussia  is  ready! 

fl  Prussia,  through  her  political  endorsement  of  the  people 
(1850)  did  not  suddenly  become  a  Parliamentary  state,  de- 
spite William's  new  Constitution.  Broad  privileges  were 
granted,  but  Prussia  remained  an  absolute  monarchy.  While 
there  was  henceforth  to  be  a  certain  restricted  cooperation 
between  Crown  and  Crowd,  the  Divine-right  theory  that  had 
come  down  through  the  ages  was  not  weakened  or  its  author- 
ity compromised;  in  short,  by  conciliating  certain  hostile 
popular  elements,  led  by  fire-breathing  first-cousins  of  the 
French  Revolutionists,  a  large  part  of  the  hated  Liberal  pro- 
gramme was  done  away  with,  in  turn  consolidating  the 
power  of  the  Prussian  kings. 

1f  This  situation  also  defines  the  political  evolution  essential 
before  Germany  could  become  a  Nation.  Despite  various 
historians,  Germany  could  not  at  this  hour  have  proclaimed 
herself  a  Republic. 

U  Bismarck  realized  more  and  more,  as  he  grew  in  experience 
and  power,  that  the  Germans  were  sick  unto  death  of  polit- 
ical experiments;  they  wanted  unity,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
but  by  unity  they  really  meant  a  head  to  the  National  house; 
a  strong  father,  to  advise,  protect  and  punish  his  children. 
The  parallel  extends  to  the  German  idea  of  National  rule; 
thoroughness,  efficiency,  discipline  take  the  place  of  political 
expediency,  job-holding  for  the  mere  sake  of  job-holding;  in 
church,  in  state  and  in  family  life  the  idea  of  a  great  central 
Authority  alone  satisfies  the  German  mind. 
U  Thus,  the  German  conception  of  a  Nation  is  intensely  prac- 
tical; the  state  is  not  merely  an  aggregation  of  office-holders, 
but  the  state  is  primarily  a  vast  institution,  efficiently  ad- 
ministered by  the  best  minds,  and  these  servants  of  the 
people  are  instantly  responsible  to  the  great  central  author- 
ity, whose  power  of  removal  for  cause  may  be  exercised  as 
the  father  corrects  his  children,  for  the  good  of  the  family. 

•    •    • 

If  To  these  fundamental  ideas,  based  on  the  soul  of  the  Ger- 
man people,  Bismarck  now  addressed  himself  for  many  years 


134  Blood   and    Iron 

to  come.  He  knew  what  the  German  race  demands;  his 
analysis  was  psychologically  correct,  although  few  patriots 
of  '48  could  see  it  that  way. 

•    •'  • 

TJAs  his  years  of  apprenticeship  pass,  Bismarck  carries  on 
his  mission  in  a  new  way:  is  decided  to  lead  Prussia  to  the 
conquest  of  Germany;  is  done  with  political  platform-mak- 
ing except  in  so  far  as  the  alignments  of  politics  lend  them- 
selves to  his  final  purpose. 

11  With  political  instinct  for  gigantic  projects  carried  out  with 
realism,  the  King's  Man  now  determined  the  bold  outlines 
of  his  National  policy. 

He  did  not  worry  about  details:  these  he  would  fill  in,  as 
time  passed;  but  he  would  on  one  side  hold  fast  to  German 
National  unity  and  on  the  other  side  would  sustain  Prussian 
kingcraft  as  the  very  voice  of  God  for  Germany;  one  of  Bis- 
marck's strongest  ideas  was  that  the  King  of  Prussia  was 
the  vicegerent  of  Christ  on  this  earth.  In  short,  Germany 
must  come  through  Prussian  supremacy,  and  incidentally 
exalt  Prussian  supremacy,  otherwise  it  might  not  come  at  all. 

BBS 

II  To  clear  William's  Divine-right  once  for  all,  so  far  as  our 
story  goes,  let  it  be  known  that  German  historians  have 
always  laid  stress  on  the  respect  of  Teutonic  tribesmen,  from 
ancient  days,  for  the  leadership  of  a  strong  fighting  man. 
Tacitus,  the  earliest  writer  of  importance,  detailing  the  lives 
of  Teutonic  tribes,  sets  forth  that  it  was  the  custom  of 
the  German  warriors  in  times  of  crises  to  select  their  strong 
man  and  endow  him  with  the  power  of  rulership;  looking  to 
him  in  turn  to  lead  the  tribe  to  war  against  the  common 
enemy.  This  reliance  upon  kings  who  were  also  powerful 
war  lords  continuing  through  the  centuries,  satisfied  the  fun- 
damental aspirations  of  the  Germans  in  their  will  to  military 
power;  but  as  the  generations  passed  the  old  story  of  human 
nature  was  proved  anew,  that  is  to  say,  what  begins  as  a 
"privilege"  ends  as  a  "demanded  right."  On  the  side  of  the 
kings,  was  now  proclaimed  more  loftily  than  ever  that  mon- 
archy is  the  voice  of  God. 


BOOK  THE  FOURTH 
Blood  is  Thicker  than  Water 

CHAPTER  X 

£0rntt*0  tit  JJolttira 

35 

Perfecting  himself  in  political  intrigue  and  in  vitu- 
perative debating,  also  in  caustic  letter- writing; 
all  is  necessary  grist  for  the  Bismarck  mill. 

H  We  come  now  to  the  year  1851. 

II  The  entrance  of  Emperor  Francis  Joseph,  at  this  time,  on 
the  politico-military  stage  of  Austria  was  followed  by  still 
another  era  of  political  reaction;  the  Liberal  Austrian  con- 
stitution, wrested  during  the  riots,  was  revoked;  as  were 
also  those  Democratic  constitutions  pledged  for  almost  every 
German  state. 

II  The  Germanic  Confederation,  with  political  legitimacy 
vested  in  the  curious  Frankfort  Parliament,  again  took  the 
field.  It  was  an  Austrian  plan  to  get  the  advantage  of 
Prussia. 

U  "If  I  do  not  do  well,  you  can  recall  me,"  Bismarck  told 
William.  The  King  decided  in  his  extremity  to  hazard  the 
appointment  of  the  unknown  Bismarck,  as  Prussian  delegate 
to  Frankfort.  William  remembered  those  bold  "White 
Saloon"  speeches. 

If  Now  get  this  straight:  Bismarck  was  a  land-owner  of 
ancient  days;  estates  won  by  the  sword  had  been  in  the  Bis- 
marck family  for  600  years;  nay,  the  Bismarcks  traced  their 
knighthood  to  the  far-distant  year  1200.  The  force  of  this 
appeal  in  the  blood  was  at  once  profound  and  irresistible. 
U  Bismarck  to  the  day  he  died  was  always  an  Alt  Mark  vas- 
sal to  his  liege  lord  and  master,  the  Margrave  of  Branden- 
burg, the  King  of  Prussia.  So  much  is  clear. 

(135) 


136  Blood    and    Iron 

Bismarck  was  also  much  more  than  this.  We  repeat,  he 
was  a  leader  of  men.  The  King  of  Prussia  could  command 
old  families  in  scores  if  not  in  hundreds,  to  support  the  An- 
cient Regime,  socially  and  politically,  but  where  find  that 
rare  man,  a  born  leader  for  the  cause? 

Tf  Duty  and  self-interest  prompted  Bismarck  to  hold  up  the 
royal  hand,  but  after  all  is  said,  the  vital  force  of  Bismarck's 
endorsement  was  found  in  the  man's  genius  for  leadership. 
It  was  not  so  much  the  cause  as  it  was  the  man.  For  had 
Bismarck  gone  over  to  the  other  side  the  history  of  Germany 
would  have  been  vastly  different. 

flThis  Frankfort  parliament,  a  hydra-headed  political  crea- 
tion dedicated  to  liberty,  was  in  secret  doing  the  purposes 
of  Austrian  plutocracy  and  reaction;  it  was  to  be  the  last 
stand  of  the  Old  Regime,  against  Democracy. 
But  it  was  necessary  to  move  with  cautious  foot.  The  sap- 
pers were  at  work  under  the  thrones,  and  at  any  instant  the 
mines  might  be  touched  off. 

H  Bismarck  thus,  quite  by  accident,  finds  himself  the  repre- 
sentative of  William  IV,  in  Frankfort  Diet  or  Bundestag,  the 
political  Punch  and  Judy  show  originally  set  up  by  Metter- 
nich,  in  1815,  to  rule  the  quarreling  thirty-nine  German 
states.  Their  intense  individualism  was  such  that  Metter- 
nich,  who  dominated  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  after  the 
downfall  of  Napoleon,  did  not  know  what  was  best. 
All  other  parts  of  Europe,  and  even  the  islands  of  the  seas 
had  been  reassigned,  but  no  human  being  could  tell  what 
to  do  with  the  turbulent  thirty-nine  German  states. 
H"Here,  then,  was  a  mysterious  'Court  of  Chance,'  where 
things  dragged  on  for  years,  a  political  circumlocution  office, 
hopelessly  bound  by  its  own  interminable  seals,  parchments 
and  red  tape." 

The  secret  object  was  to  do  nothing  that  would  not  favor 
Austria;  with  the  idea  that,  in  the  end,  the  devious  course 
of  politics  would  bring  Austria  final  control  of  the  German 
lands,  everywhere. 

U  It  was  in  this  absurd  Parliament  that  Bismarck  was  to 
perfect  himself  in  political  intrigue.  Frankfort  made  no 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  137 

organic  laws;  these  were  mysteriously  settled  at  Vienna;  the 
meetings  of  the  Diet  were  held  in  secret;  at  best,  the  voting 
was  along  lines  that  gave  to  Austria  and  not  to  Prussia  the 
deciding  voice. 

HUH 

Hit  did  not  take  Bismarck  long  to  find  that  at  Frankfort 
the  King  of  Prussia  was  but  a  cipher.  Furthermore,  what 
raised  Bismarck's  ire  was  the  impotence  of  the  Parliament. 
Frankfort  had  been  unable  to  put  down  the  blood-letting  of 
'48,  and  Bismarck  detested  weakness  of  any  kind,  mental, 
physical  or  spiritual. 

He  was,  and  always  remained,  a  profound  extremist;  but  his 
position  was  tempered  by  massive  common  sense. 
U  The  world  dearly  loves  a  flunkey — and  flunkeyism  was  uni- 
versal at  Frankfort. 

The  many  members  fluttered  about  in  gay  military  dress, 
wore  stars  of  sham  authority,  gold  crosses,  medals  dangling 
from  bright  ribbons. 

Names  prefixed  by  count,  duke,  margrave — crests  on  the 
coach  door  and  Latin  mottoes — hyphenated  family  names, 
indicated  all  manner  of  political  marriages  de  convenience. 
Bestarred  gentlemen,  one  and  all,  if  you  please! 
U  Bismarck  wrote  home  soon  enough,  for  he  was  choking  with 
anger,  not  on  account  of  the  aristocratic  airs  of  Frankfort 
(for  Bismarck  dearly  loved  a  title),  but  choking  with  anger 
because  his  beloved  King  of  Prussia  was  a  Nobody  in  this 
crazy  Parliament.  "I  find  them  a  drowsy,  insipid  set  of 
creatures,  only  endurable  when  I  appear  among  them  as  so 
much  pepper,"  are  his  sarcastic  words. 

is   H   a 

If  Had  Bismarck  not  been  a  diplomat,  he  might  have  made 

his  mark  as  a  radical  writer.     His  letters  very  often  show 

almost  anarchistic  dissent.     At  vulgar  characterization,  no 

man  could  outsnarl  Bismarck. 

Also  this  Pomeranian  giant's  correspondence  at  times  fairly 

stinks  with  frightful  smells.     When  in  these  black  moods, 

he  released  nasty  fumes  around  the  heads  of  rivals. 

We  are  surprised,  likewise,  to  find  growing  in  the  mire  of 


138  Blood    and    Iron 

his  thoughts,  here  and  there,  violets  worthy  of  the  poet 
Freiligrath.  The  man's  power  to  be  poetical  or  insulting,  as 
he  willed,  is  indeed  as  strange  as  it  is  rare. 
1f  Bismarck's  pen  pictures  of  fellow  ambassadors — how  they 
flirted,  danced,  drank  to  excess,  their  maudlin  ideas  of  gov- 
ernment, although  regarding  themselves  as  veritable  political 
seers — show  the  powerful  satirical  and  analytical  side  of 
Bismarck's  brain. 

And  although  Bismarck  mocked  with  sardonic  immensity  his 
colleagues,  yet  with  an  under-play  worthy  of  the  Devil,  our 
Otto  proceeded  to  make  these  owlish  and  absurd  gentlemen 
puppets  in  the  hands  of  Prussia. 

HAlas,  time  does  not  permit  us  to  set  forth  the  charming 
letters  Bismarck  writes  home.  There  is  that  moonlight  swim 
in  the  Danube;  the  interview  with  Metternich,  the  old  war- 
horse  of  kings;  the  gypsy  ball  and  the  weird  fiddling 
gypsies;  his  visits  to  robber-infested  parts  of  Hungary,  mak- 
ing the  trip  in  part  in  a  peasant's  cart,  "loaded  pistols  in  the 
straw  at  our  feet,  and  near  by  a  company  of  lanciers  carry- 
ing cocked  carbines,  against  the  imminent  visits  of  robber 
bands." 

He  describes  how  he  visited  Ostend,  going  sea-bathing  at 
that  famous  resort;  rambling  on  through  Holland,  smok- 
ing a  long  clay  pipe;  then  on  to  Sweden  for  the  shooting; 
next  to  Russia  for  wild  boars. 

fi  His  letters  often  have  a  lyrical  quality,  telling  of  water- 
falls of  the  Pyrenees,  the  fascinating  fairyland  of  Mendels- 
sohn, dark-eyed  Spanish  beauties,  open-air  concerts,  London 
garroters,  old  musty  houses  with  peculiar  smells,  or  what 
you  will.  Bismarck  dwells  often  on  eating  and  drinking; 
and  in  one  letter  from  Paris  speaks  of  a  dinner  at  which  he 
drank  St.  Julien,  Lafitte  Branne,  Mouton,  Pichon,  Larose, 
Latour,  Margaux,  and  Arneillac! 

If  These,  and  hundreds  of  other  letters  comprise  charming 
interludes  between  black  moods  of  political  intrigue,  wherein 
he  used  his  vitrolic  pen  to  lampoon  his  beribboned,  bejeweled 
farce-comedy  fellow-ambassadors. 

U  "Germany  is  tied  together  with  red  tape,"  writes  Bismarck 
at  this  stage  of  his  political  apprenticeship,  at  Frankfort; 
and  he  hit  the  nail  on  the  head. 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  139 

fi  Promise  yourself  a  delightful  month  reading  Bismarck's 
four  octavo  volumes  telling  of  his  change  of  heart  toward 
Austria,  as  shown  little  by  little  in  Frankfort  dispatches, 
documents  and  proceedings,  interspersed  with  satiri- 
cal stories  in  Bismarck's  extremely  individualistic  style. 
Throughout,  you  receive  glimpses  of  the  man's  great  mind. 
No  less  an  authority  than  the  Herr  Prof,  von  Sybel  tells  us 
of  these  Bismarck  writings,  bearing  on  the  formation  of  the 
German  Empire:  "They  possess  a  classic  worth,  unsurpassed 
by  the  best  German  prose  writers  of  any  age." 


36 

Applying  Socratic  methods  to  game  of  politics;  Bis- 
marck's bold  and  masterful  preparations  for  German 
unity. 

H  Now  then,  during  these  years  1851-'61,  Bismarck  was  doing 
two  things :  Perfecting  himself  in  the  dastardly  art  of  po- 
litical intrigue;  likewise,  he  was  going  about  like  a  modern 
Socrates,  talking  with  men  of  high  or  low  degree  everywhere; 
studying  what  might  be  called  the  human  nature  side  of  the 
German  problem  of  unity  and  nationality;  studying  it,  not 
in  an  aimless  way,  but  to  mould  men  to  his  own  gigantic 
political  ends,  when  the  right  time  arrived. 
If  Thus,  with  the  stiff  wind  of  adverse  political  affairs  straight 
in  his  teeth,  remember  that  Bismarck's  great  strength  was 
always  his  knowledge  of  men. 

During  the  years  of  which  we  now  write  he  made  it  his  busi- 
ness to  visit  the  various  petty  German  courts,  to  gaze  on 
princelings  who  would  be  kings;  busied  himself  with  court 
gossip  till  he  found  out  the  inner  political  jealousies. 
Thus  fortified,  Bismarck  knew  the  one  man  or  woman  to 
touch  in  the  various  parts  of  Germany,  to  help  along  Prus- 
sian ambition — when  the  supreme  moment  to  strike  had  come 
at  last. 

II  This  supreme  moment  he  awaited  with  diabolical  patience 
through  the  slow-going  years. 

No  human  being  could  hasten  or  retard  Bismarck's  ultimate 
victory;  for  he  remained  the  one  truly  masterful  man  in 
Europe. 


140  Blood    and    Iron 

He  sat  at  gambling  tables,  he  wheedled  secrets  from  the 
prostitutes  of  princes;  he  stood  by  and  egged  on  human  dog- 
fights; he  took  part  in  church-rows  about  doctrines;  he  had 
inside  glimpses  of  the  venality  of  Austrian  kept-press- 
writers,  "the  scum  of  the  earth,"  he  calls  them,  "who  sell 
opinions  as  the  petty  merchant  sells  butter  and  eggs."  Bis- 
marck seemed  to  be  the  only  man  in  Europe  who  really  was 
able  to  grasp  the  solution  of  the  German  problem. 
1;  Also,  the  granite  soil  of  his  heart  is  shown  again  and 
again.  What  a  hater  he  was! 

For  example,  refusing  to  go  to  Mass  for  the  repose  of 
Schwarzenberg's  soul,  Bismarck  gave  the  reason:  "He  is  the 
man  who  said:  'I  will  abuse  Prussia  and  then  abolish  her.' " 

•  '•''• 

IJYou  see,  our  Otto  is  one  of  those  uncomfortable  Germans 
who  in  his  own  amazing  personality  expresses  the  National 
ideal  of  earnestness;  Otto  is  frightfully  in  earnest  in  hia 
cups,  or  over  his  half  dozen  eggs  for  breakfast — as  you 
please.  He  frightens  timid  souls. 

11  His  temper  few  men  could  curb,  much  less  sit  calmly  by 
and  receive  without  retiring  in  bad  order.  Incident  after  in- 
cident at  Frankfort  might  be  cited,  but  what  is  the  use? 
U  With  fiendish  earnestness  Bismarck  plotted  to  break  the 
bones  of  two  democratic  editors  whose  writings  threw  the 
Prussian  mastiff  into  periodical  black  rages.  Bismarck  jus- 
tified his  cruelty  by  insisting  that  "bounds  must  be  set  for 
these  infamous  press  scribblings."  He  means  that  attacks 
on  the  Divine-right  of  kings  must  at  all  hazards  be  choked  off. 
He  always  hated  journalists,  called  the  press  "a  poisoned 
well,"  and  as  for  himself  he  is  on  record  to  this  effect:  "I 
always  approached  the  ink-bottle  with  great  caution." 
H  But  mark  this  well :  Our  Otto,  in  his  turn,  craftily  used  the 
press  to  present  the  smooth  side  of  his  own  political  intrigu- 
ing; indeed  he  had  his  very  valuable  Prussian  press  bureau; 
and  we  have  authority  for  the  statement  that  the  Bis- 
marckian  idea  of  journalism  was  to  have  "hireling  scribes 
well  in  hand,  men  who  stabbed  like  masked  assassins  and 
mined  like  mobs." 
U  During  the  decade  we  call  Bismarck's  apprenticeship,  1851- 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  141 

'61,  he  was  thus  engaged:  1851,  envoy  at  Frankfort  Diet; 
1852,  Prussian  ambassador  at  Vienna,  during  the  illness  of 
Count  Arnim;  St.  Petersburg,  1859;  Paris,  1862. 
Thus,  he  had  an  opportunity  to  get  acquainted  with  all  the 
leading  diplomatists  on  the  European  chessboard,  to  study 
them  in  their  own  haunts,  and  to  perfect  himself  in  play- 
ing with  pitch  without  blackening  his  hands. 
ft  Bismarck  told  Francis  Joseph,  "I  am  firm  to  put  an  end 
to  the  attacks  on  Prussia  in  the  Austrian  press!" 
This  boldness  won  the  Emperor,  and  in  confidence  he  re- 
marked to  a  friend:  "Ah,  that  I  had  a  man  of  Bismarck's 
audacity." 

IJAlso,   he   told   Joseph,   "Prussia   will   never   yield   in   the 
matter  of  the  commercial  union,  with  Austria." 
The  Emperor  remarked  on  Bismarck's  youth — 37  years — and 
was  much  impressed.    "Bismarck  had  the  wisdom  of  a  man 
of  70!"  was  Joseph's  comment. 

•    •    fl 

H  You  begin  to  get  a  clearer  idea  of  what  this  thing  called 
patriotism  means?  Nay,  do  not  scoff  at  our  Otto;  he  is 
only  carrying  on  the  old,  old  game  called  reaching  out  after 
place  and  power;  is  doing  exactly  what  you  would  do  your- 
self, if  you  had  the  will  to  rise  to  the  mountain-tops  where 
live  the  Bismarcks  and  the  Caesars. 

Mask  after  mask  Bismarck  used  to  cover  his  real  intent,  from 
1847  to  1870,  the  long  years  he  was  scheming  to  establish  a 
German  Empire;  and  he  did  his  work  well;  more  than  that 
cannot  be  said  of  any  man.  Therefore,  his  fame  is  secure 
in  the  Valhalla  of  Mankind. 

m   m   H 

Tf  Here  is  an  amusing  bit,  showing  the  craft  and  cunning  of 
our  master:  When  Napoleon  the  Little,  through  his  coup 
d'etat  made  himself  Emperor  of  France,  December  2,  1851, 
and  while  Frankfort's  Parliament  was  trying  to  decide 
"what"  to  say  about  it,  officially,  a  French  journal  in  Frank- 
fort printed  an  enthusiastic  endorsement  of  the  new 
Emperor. 

Bismarck  suspected  that  it  came  straight  from  Prussia's 
hated  rival.  Seeking  out  the  proprietor  of  the  newspaper 


142  Blood   and   Iron 

Bismarck  congratulated  him  "on  close  relations  with  Na- 
poleon." The  owner,  taken  off  his  guard,  replied:  "You  are 
wrong;  it  came  from  Vienna!"  This  was  exactly  what  Bis- 
marck wished  to  ascertain,  and  his  suspicions  were  verified. 
To  make  assui'ance  doubly  sure,  Bismarck  leaving  the  jour- 
nalist, did  a  little  detective  work.  In  the  garden,  from  a 
secret  place,  he  could  see  the  French  minister's  house.  In 
half  an  hour,  he  spied  the  journalist  ringing  the  French 
minister's  doorbell. 
"Ah,  ha!"  was  Bismarck's  comment. 

•    •    • 

TJ  What  did  this  giant  not  do  to  help  his  beloved  Prussia,  and 
to  humiliate  his  detested  Austria? 

One  day,  he  found  a  fiery  anti-Prussian  review  in  an  Aus- 
trian member's  desk.  He  thought  nothing  of  ransacking  a 
desk.  Richelieu  had  a  system  of  espionage  unrivaled  in 
history.  Bismarck  in  this  respect  is  the  Cardinal's  close 
second.  Each  man  regarded  himself  as  a  patriot.  Bismarck 
was  obstinately  loyal  to  Prussia.  Her  aggrandizement  be- 
came henceforth  his  life's  passion.  Nay,  Bismarck  did  not 
ask  that  the  member  be  dismissed!  That  would  be  punish- 
ment too  coarse.  Instead,  Bismarck  decided  that  the  best  re- 
venge would  be  to  print  the  address  piecemeal  and  thus  keep 
the  member  in  suspense; — something  like  twisting  the  cords 
a  little  each  day  till  the  victim  meets  strangulation  In  fright- 
ful form. 

U  During  the  eight  years  that  Bismarck  was  a  member  of 
the  freakish  Frankfort  Diet  set  up  by  Austria  to  "rule"  the 
quarreling  thirty-nine  German  states,  Bismarck,  the  Prus- 
sian giant,  came  to  see  the  necessity  of  controlling  the  press. 
U  Frankfort  stupidities  decided  Bismarck  to  appeal  directly 
to  the  common  people  (whom  also  he  politically  despised!) 
and  hence  we  find  that  he  now  meets  Austria's  hired  jour- 
nalists by  urging  the  utmost  press-freedom.  "In  this,"  says 
Lowe,  "Bismarck  was  an  opportunist,"  as  he  often  was.  "I 
learned  something,"  he  used  to  say  when  his  enemies  accused 
him  of  shifting  ground. 

U  Bismarck  now  demanded  "open  discussion"  of  German  poli- 
cies; saw  that  hired  press  agents  vigorously  set  forth  the 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  143 

Prussian  side.  In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  draw  a 
parallel  between  Bismarck's  ideas  of  journalism,  in  1852, 
and  the  American  conception  (1915). 

If  "In  the  press,  truth  will  not  come  to  light  through  the 
mists  conjured  into  life  by  the  mendacity  of  subsidized  news- 
papers, until  the  material  wherewith  to  oppose  all  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Bund  (Frankfort)  shall  be  supplied  to  the  Prus- 
sian press,  with  unrestricted  liberty  to  use  it." 
II  This  idea  is  precisely  what  extremists  like  Roosevelt  set  up 
(1915),  battling  against  "trusts,"  endeavoring  to  make  them 
audit  their  books  on  the  curbstone!  So,  what  is  new  under 
the  sun? 


37 

Ox-like  patience  of  Prussian  peasantry  sorely  tried 
— The  incessant  call  for  the  strong  man  to  end  po- 
litical miseries. 

If  As  the  result  of  all  this  deep  study,  Bismarck  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  Prussia  in  the  great  moral  idea  of  a  United 
Germany  could  win,  only  by  fighting  Austria.  We  might  as 
well  get  at  the  core  of  this  thing,  in  short  order.  The  com- 
plications are  amazing;  but  the  more  we  probe  into  Bis- 
marck's gigantic  problem,  the  larger  grows  the  stature  of 
our  modern  German  giant. 

If  From  this  time  till  the  hour  of  his  death,  many  years  later, 
Bismarck  remains  the  one  great  central  will  power  of  Ger- 
many, the  source  of  political  legitimacy,  dealing  out  with  his 
brawny  hands  favors  where  they  would  do  the  most  good, 
setting  men  up  or  casting  them  down;  and  in  the  end, 
through  a  series  of  profound  political  combinations  the  inner 
currents  of  which  to  this  hour  no  human  being  has  been  able 
to  chart  and  classify,  our  strong  man  at  last  is  to  set  up  his 
United  Germany,  placing  the  imperial  crown  on  William's 
head  in  the  palace  of  the  French  kings,  at  Versailles. 
HOh,  how  unforgivable  all  this  is  to  the  French.  Not  only 
that  defeat  should  come  in  '70,  but  that  the  palace  of  the 
Bourbons,  cosfing  some  $200,000,000,  should  be  used  in  solemn 
mockery  by  the  super-man  Bismarck,  as  the  stage-setting 


144  Blood    and    Iron 

whereby  to  complete  the  imperial  German  holiday!  Centuries 
must  pass  before  this,  the  profound  mortification  to  French 
feelings,  is  forgotten.  That  is  to  say,  the  worst  thing  you 
can  do  to  a  man  is  to  hurt  his  pride.  Had  the  German  Em- 
pire come  to  pass  without  wounding  French  pride  (not 
to  add  the  French  pocketbook)  the  French  would  long  since 
have  gone  on  their  way  in  peace,  rejoicing  in  German  pros- 
perity. Why  not  ?  The  French  are  Christians,  not  the  slight- 
est doubt  of  that;  and  as  Christians  do  not  envy  the  German 
ox,  ass  or  maid-servant.  Indeed,  that  is  as  it  should  be  in  a 
Christian  world. 

•    •    • 

II  At  home,  up  in  Prussia,  Bismarck's  sullen  glances  surveyed 
Europe  afar,  and  in  the  '50's,  of  which  we  are  writing,  this 
is  his  problem: 

He  sees  Germany  still  a  mere  crazy-quilt  of  clashing  states. 
There  are  warring  ecclesiastical  barons,  free  cities,  petty 
princelings;  Catholic  Bavaria  against  Protestant  Prussia; 
nobles  against  the  people;  the  people  against  themselves, 
divided  by  God  knows  what  controversies,  sane  or  insane; 
poets  writing  their  hymns  of  liberty  then  dying  unheroically 
by  a  brickbat  flung  wildly  in  some  street  brawl ;  jurists  trying 
to  hammer  together  some  constitution  that  will  not  be  blown 
to  pieces  by  the  first  explosion  of  gunpowder; — and  all  fail- 
ing! With  pugnacious  Prussia  on  the  North,  with  rapacious 
Austria  on  the  South,  with  insolent  Bavaria  hanging  off  on 
the  Southwest,  and  the  others  fighting  tooth  and  nail  for  the 
land,  that  will  eventually  fall  to  the  strongest — the  German 
problem  became  an  exhibition  over  many  years  of  the  nob- 
lest, likewise  of  the  darkest,  passions  of  the  human  breast. 
Three  dreadful  wars  were  to  be  fought,  80,000  lives  were  to 
be  sacrificed,  during  twenty  years  of  turbulence;  and  in  the 
blood-drenched  interim  various  monarchs  are  to  make  a  play- 
thing of  the  thirty-nine  disunited  German  states. 
fl  But  the  thing  had  to  be  gone  through  with.  The  historical 
evolution  could  not  be  hastened,  although  it  was  often  set 
back.  Sick  Germany  had  many  a  hideous  nightmare  before 
the  fever  passed. 
Convention  after  convention,  diet  after  diet,  contending  mon- 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  145 

archs  using  any  plea  that  will  give  the  upper  hand  to  Prus- 
sia or  to  Austria,  or  over  princes  and  whimsical  knights, 
from  the  one  who  holds  his  sovereignty  because  his  ancestor 
had  been  a  king's  barber,  to  another  who  in  a  lucky  moment 
had  found  the  queen's  lace  handkerchief,  and  after  that 
lived  like  a  parasite  on  the  land; — all  these  high  contracting 
parties  must  be  sent  to  the  dump  heap  and  the  soil  sprinkled 
with  precious  German  brothers'  blood,  mingling  freely  with 
vile  blood,  before  the  new  political  crop  can  grow. 
U  Between  1750  and  1870  the  German  problem  had  been  set- 
tled over  and  over  again,  but  was  not  finally  settled  till  by 
Bismarck's  blood  and  iron.  This  means  in  Frederick  the 
Great's  own  obstinate  way! 

U  We  have  heard  from  political  fanatics,  poets,  lawyers, 
kings,  thieves,  church-people;  all  manner  of  men  and  not  a 
few  women  have  babbled  and  cackled;  and  there  has  been 
blood-letting,  generation  after  generation,  all  up  and  down 
the  Rhine,  the  Main,  the  Spree  and  the  Elbe;  then  there 
would  follow  a  lull  brought  about  by  some  great  Charter  of 
Liberty  framed  by  the  Liberals,  at  their  latest  conference; 
and  when  it  all  went  up  in  smoke,  we  would  hear  again  that 
the  Prussian  government  had  its  own  plan,  which,  quite 
naturally  Austria  would  never  consent  to  advance. 
11  Indeed,  the  ox-like  patience  of  the  German  people,  with 
their  great  moral  dream  of  "German  National  faith,"  was 
strongly  tried. 

H  It  remained  for  the  obstinate  spirit  of  Frederick,  through 
Bismarck,  to  find  the  only  way,  by  blood  and  iron.  Senti- 
mentalists should  not  shed  tears.  It  is  no  less  an  authority 
than  Marshal  Davout,  the  great  French  soldier  who  had  for 
his  watchword,  "The  world  belongs  to  the  obstinate." 
Was  not  the  Great  Frederick,  in  his  youth,  an  idealist,  and 
did  he  not  write  a  touching  essay  on  the  evils  of  absolutism  ? 
But  he  ended  by  embracing  the  tyranny  of  kings— even  as 
you  and  I,  if  we  have  the  power. 


11  At  the  very  outset,  then,  let  it  be  made  clear  that  it  is 
short-sighted  to  call  Bismarck  Prussian  tyrant.    What  would 


146  Blood   and   Iron 

you,  please  ?    Cakes  for  the  child,  when  the  child  cries  ?    That 
has  often  been  tried,  and  always  in  vain. 
Next  time,  the  child  wants  two  cakes  instead  of  one.    It  will 
not  do. 

Frederick  was  dubbed  the  "last  of  the  tyrants."  We  are  sorry 
if  this  were  true. 

Tyrants  are  exceedingly  useful.  Nay,  we  are  glad  to  report 
that  Frederick  is  not  the  last. 

They  still  exist  in  every  family,  village,  city,  state,  and 
nation. 

For  the  most  part,  they  exercise  their  tyranny  in  petty  exac- 
tions, with  no  big  plan  such  as  distinguishes  the  dominating 
man  from  the  little  fellow  with  the  mean  temper  and  his 
childish  ambition  to  rule,  let  us  say,  his  dog  or  his  wife. 
fl  There  is  something  pathetic  in  the  incessant  call  this  earth 
has  for  a  strong  man.  It  was  so  in  Germany,  and  Bismarck 
was  that  man. 

Caesar  was  assassinated  because  he  was  said  to  be  a  tyrant, 
yet  after  his  death  for  400  years  Rome  sought  in  vain  for  a 
man  strong  enough  to  hold  the  Empire  from  going  to  pieces. 
fl  Is  there  not  something  puzzling  in  the  devotion  of  a  people 
to  their  amiable  oppressor?  They  may  rebel  against  abso- 
lutism, as  Bavarian  hates  Prussian,  but  if  the  political  despot 
is  strong  enough  to  win  against  foreign  foes,  as  Bismarck 
did  at  Koeniggraetz,  Sedan  and  Gravelotte,  the  people  kiss 
the  hand  that  smites.  What  greater  tests  of  loyalty  do  you 
ask  of  human  nature? 

«!  Before  1866,  he  was  without  doubt  the  "best-hated"  man  in 
Europe,  lampooned,  ridiculed,  even  the  victim  of  attempted 
assassinations. 

At  Frankfort  mothers  sang  their  children  to  sleep  by  the 
following  ditty: 

Sleep,  darling,  sleep, 

Be  always  gentle  and  good, 

Or  Vogel  von  Falkenstein  will  come 

And  carry  you  away  in  a  sack; 

Bismarck  too  will  come  after  him, 

And  he  eats  up  little  children. 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  147 

If  Yet  within  a  few  years,  in  his  character  as  Prussian  Prime 
Minister,  who  against  the  will  of  the  people  achieved  the 
greatness  of  Prussia,  and  thereby  made  possible  United  Ger- 
many, no  adulation  was  too  great  for  our  self-same  Bismarck, 
formerly  sneered  at,  despised,  vilified,  and  stoned. 
So  much  for  the  value  of  public  opinion.  What  then  does  it 
all  mean? 

Bismarck  made  his  30-years'  battle  against  the  people  and 
won;  and  the  people,  strange  to  say,  turned  a  mental  somer- 
sault and  now  saw  no  inconsistency  in  cheering  Bismarck, 
as  liberator. 
?[  How  strange  this  sounds! 


38 

Here  is  the  Man  of  the  Hour,  depicted  in  all  his 
naked  realism. 

If  This  amazing  German  problem  called  for  a  wise  despot, 
to  confront  and  overawe  weak  men,  gathered  in  German  par- 
liaments in  which  there  were  worlds  of  cackling,  but  no 
wisdom. 

The  curse  of  Germany  had  been  too  much  speech-making,  too 
much  poetry,  too  much  dreaming.  The  babble  went  on  from 
1815  to  1866,  at  least— fifty  years! 

If  The  times  called  for  a  hard-headed,  dogmatic,  tyrannical 
man  with  a  plan  large  enough  to  subdue  the  thirty-nine  war- 
ring parts,  and  weld  the  whole  into  a  mighty  Empire. 
This  meant  a  tyrant  of  the  massive  Frederick  the  Great  type. 
It  called  for  a  man  erect  and  proud,  keen  of  speech,  with 
absolute  self-confidence,  who  in  a  pinch  was  master  at  under- 
hand dealing,  and  who  could  deliberately  use  harshness  and 
malice. 

The  man  had  to  understand  the  delicate  art  of  flattery,  and 
at  other  times  be  blustering  and  outspoken. 
The  roar  of  cannon  should  make  him  as  cold  as  ice,  but  un- 
derneath his  frozen  exterior  he  should  have  a  fiery  nature, 
full  of  craft  and  guile,  like  a  Gascon. 

He  should  have  a  torrent  of  cutting  words,  his  eyes  should 
flash  and  his  blood  should  boil,  yet  he  should  be  able  to  wage 


148  Blood    and    Iron 

a  secret  war,  masked  under  compliments,  or  draw  his  dagger 
and  strike  for  the  heart. 

He  should  have  thousands  of  enemies  and  prevail  over 
them  all. 

He  should  have  boundless  ambition;  action  should  be  the  zest 
of  his  life,  and  at  crucial  times  he  should  display  an  uncon- 
trollable temper. 

He  should  seek  the  path  of  glory;  a  man  of  fiery  enthusiasm, 
who  never  forgives  an  enemy;  has  fits  of  rage;  is  jealous; 
a  great  swordsman,  fights  duels;  a  master  horseman,  able 
to  ride  day  and  night  without  fatigue. 

He  should  be  at  once  cautious  and  headlong,  realizing  that 
in  the  end  it  is  the  bold  play  that  wins.  He  should  be  able 
to  live  down  public  utterances  that  would  cause  other  men 
years  of  disgrace.  He  should  be  able  to  quell  a  mutiny,  check 
a  mob  or  stamp  out  a  rebellion.  And,  above  all,  whether  ad- 
mired or  detested,  he  should  justify  his  career  by  succeeding 
in  what  he  started  to  do. 

fi  In  other  words,  he  must  be  Bismarck,  the  greatest  empire- 
builder  since  Caesar's  day — yes,  not  even  barring  Napoleon, 
for  Napoleon's  empire  crumbled  to  dust,  yet  Bismarck's,  fresh 
with  youth,  still  lives  on! 


CHAPTER  XI 

OJije  fttuilri 

39 

Supporting  Bismarck's  idea  of  the  mailed  fist;  De- 
mocracy stems  from  and  is  supported  by  aristocracy. 

H  Why  is  it  that,  in  the  American  Republic,  there  is  aversion 
to  acknowledging  the  services  of  men  sprung  from  aristoc- 
racy, like  Bismarck?     Are  the  facts  unrecognized,  or  is  the 
silence  only  another  form  of  political  quackery? 
UTo  bring  the  matter  home,  let  us  ask,  "How  is  it  in  the 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  149 

United  States?"  Washington  was  an  aristocrat  of  fortune, 
one  of  the  richest  men  of  his  time,  dispassionate,  cold,  aloof; 
Hamilton,  an  aristocrat  of  breeding,  contributing  his  quota 
to  democracy,  as  he  saw  it;  Lafayette,  an  aristocrat  of  birth, 
helped  us  gain  our  liberty;  and  certainly  Jefferson,  an  aris- 
tocrat of  intellect  as  well  as  of  fortune,  the  owner  of  185 
slaves,  and  the  gifted  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, offered  inestimable  services  to  the  common  people. 
U  Off-hand,  the  average  biographer  records  this:  "Bismarck 
had  no  confidence  in  the  common  people.  He  fought  a  writ- 
ten Constitution.  He  did  not  wish  to  see  his  King  yield  an 
inch  to  the  masses.  It  was  the  Crown  against  the  Crowd. 
Violently  reactionary,  he  blocked  progress — for  there  can  be 
no  progress  without  change.  He  was  trying  to  force  the 
stream  of  time  backward,  instead  of  going  with  the  tide." 


11  An  American  who  for  the  first  time  follows  the  history  of 
the  Unifier  of  Germany  begins  very  early  in  the  investigation 
to  have  a  feeling  of  apprehension.  He  is  sure  that  Bismarck 
is  a  reactionary;  his  ideas  are  so  out  of  "harmony"  with  the 
spirit  of  the  times,  the  air  full  of  the  "liberty,  equality  and 
fraternity." 

Bismarck's  attempt  to  sustain  the  monarchial  system,  espec- 
ially the  idiotic  conception  of  "Divine-right"  of  kings,  as 
against  the  rising  tide  of  "confidence  in  the  people,"  has 
about  as  much  chance  for  success  as  that  the  slavery  system 
could  be  re-introduced  into  the  United  States,  after  that  ques- 
tion had  been  settled  by  five  years'  war.  Thus  you  conclude, 
from  the  American  view! 

U  As  you  read  on  and  on,  you  feel  that  on  the  very  next  page, 
Bismarck  will  surely  go  to  the  scaffold,  or  will  fall  by  the 
dagger  of  some  "friend  of  the  people,"  a  thug  ever  after  re- 
garded as  the  veritable  Savior  of  his  country  for  the  as- 
sassination of  the  enemy  of  the  common  people. 


If  The  much  ridiculed  "Divine-right"  of  kings  is  cognizable 
as  a  right  based  on  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  backed  by  the 


150  Blood    and   Iron 

sword;  filled  with  human  weaknesses  and  shortcomings,  but 
defensible  as  a  system,  withal;  just  as  the  real  intent  of  the 
words  "captain  of  industry"  should  mean  one  whose  fatherly 
care  over  his  laborers,  his  judgment,  his  risk  of  capital,  his 
foresight  in  weathering  bad  times — redounds  to  the  imme- 
diate prosperity  of  the  workers  with  whom  he  can  have  no 
quarrel. 

If  To  those  who  make  light  of  Bismarck's  theory  of  blood  and 
iron,  in  government,  it  should  be  pointed  out  that  all  govern- 
ments that  endure,  regardless  of  what  theory  you  may  work 
under,  in  the  end  fall  to  the  strongest; — just  as  in  a  family 
fight  the  estate  goes  to  the  strongest,  or  in  a  partnership 
fight,  or  in  religion,  science,  social  affairs,  love  or  war,  the 
strong  man  has  his  way  over  the  weak;  and  it  is  still  to  be 
proven  that  the  American  democracy,  which  at  best  is  only 
another  of  manifold  experiments  in  self-government,  is  to 
survive  as  long  as  have  in  the  past  royalist  ideas — already 
that  have  persisted  for  thousands  of  years. 
If  So,  we  have  invented  Democracy  out  of  a  thousand  costly 
expenditures  of  blood  and  treasure.  We  protest  that  this 
latest  experiment  in  government  is  to  endure  forever  more, 
but  not  one  man  in  a  thousand  has  any  real  conception  of  the 
Democracy  in  which  all  men  shall  work  for  a  common  Na- 
tional end. 

Thus,  Democracy  is  fully  as  large  an  experiment  as  any 
other  in  the  Halls  of  Time;  and  today  we  are  still  nursing 
childish  ideals,  attempting  to  level  men  by  legislation,  and 
incidentally  taking  satisfaction  in  stoning  our  public  serv- 
ants, decrying  wealth,  and  robbing  the  individual  of  any 
broad  conception  of  responsibility. 


40 

Parallel  elements  that  make  for  power  in  America 
and  Germany. 

Hit  IB  difficult  for  a  certain  type  of  American  mind  to  get 
Bismarck's  point  of  view.  This  is  because  of  the  failure  to 
recognize  that  in  whatever  respect  Absolutism  and  Repub- 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  151 

licanism  may  differ,  as  forms  of  government,  the  fact  re- 
mains that  it  is  society,  and  not  human  nature,  that  has 
been  transformed.  The  old  motives,  ambition,  love,  war, 
marriage,  pride,  prejudice,  still  sum  up  underlying  condi- 
tions, however  firmly  any  government  may  seem  to  be  estab- 
lished, called  by  whatever  name,  and  led  by  Crown  or  Crowd. 
In  addition,  all  history  forecasts  the  ultimate  ruin  of  any 
regime  founded  on  human  nature. 

1J  As  between  the  share  which  belongs  to  each  man,  and  the 
share  which  does  not  belong  to  him  but  to  the  body  politic, 
expressed  in  a  reciprocal  concession,  upon  each  side,  for  the 
good  of  the  state — that  dream  of  governmental  idealism  has 
never  yet  been  attained,  even  in  free  America,  to  say  nothing 
of  Germany,  France,  England  or  Russia,  and  men  will  con- 
tinue to  annex  the  spoils  to  their  private  estates  as  long  as 
men  are  what  they  are,  at  heart. 

If  The  elements  that  make  for  a  desire  to  grasp  power,  in 
free  America,  are  essentially  the  same,  though  in  a  different 
dress,  as  they  were  in  Prussia,  in  Bismarck's  day. 
We  are  wont  to  dismiss  this  matter  with  a  shrug  and  charge 
all  the  turmoil  up  to  a  senseless  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
King  of  Prussia  to  force,  for  his  own  aggrandizement,  his 
rule  on  an  unwilling  people,  and  we  therefore  call  Bismarck 
a  tyrant,  as  though  in  this  conclusion  we  thus  elevated  our 
own  virtues  by  a  shuddering  "May-God-forbid!"  sort  of  rec- 
ognition of  Bismarck's  political  vices. 

•    •    '• 

1[  The  old  man  had  a  grand  idea  just  the  same;  he  devoted 
his  life  to  building  up  a  free  and  united  Germany.  His  in- 
tense belief  in  German  virtues  made  his  task  sacred.  He  met 
the  desire  for  a  National  cause  and  for  greater  freedom.  He 
had  to  carry  men  by  storm. 

If  However  offensive,  politically  speaking,  may  seem  in  dem- 
ocratic America  Prussia's  "Divine-right"  theory,  it  is  a  fact 
that  we,  also,  appeal  to  the  god  of  battles  just  as  Bismarck 
did.  We  open  our  Congress  with  prayers  often  couched  in 
conceited  belief  that  God  is  on  our  side;  while  our  historians 
have  repeatedly  dwelt  on  the  fact  that  America  has  a  "mani- 


152  Blood   and   Iron 

feat  destiny,"  a  phrase  reiterated  by  editors  the  land  over 
till  it  has  sunk  deep  into  the  public  conscience.  Therefore, 
in  democratic  America,  we  avow  that  we  are  in  the  hands 
of  the  Lord;  an  idea  secretly  nourished  by  millions  of  Amer- 
icans who  would  publicly  deny  that  any  such  Feudal  concep- 
tion as  Divine-right  of  kings  could  possibly  exist  in  related 
form,  in  the  United  States. 

Surely  we  cannot  mean  that  Divinity  has  anything  to  do 
with  the  majorities  in  an  American  election? 
U  Then  this  "manifest  destiny"  must  refer  to  the  ultimate 
fact  that,  however  we  may  blunder  along,  in  times  of  crisis 
the  Lord  comes  forth,  to  lead  us  out  of  the  wilderness. 
It  is  a  familiar  line  of  thought  to  find  Grant,  Sherman,  and 
Lincoln  and  others,  deified  in  the  American  press,  as  men 
"miraculously  risen"  in  storm   and  stress  to   preserve   the 
"manifest  destiny"  of  our  Nation. 

If  there  be  any  logical  distinction  between  this  hope  on  the 
part  of  millions  of  loyal  Americans,  expressing  their  patriot- 
ism in  terms  of  Heaven's  protective  policy,  and  the  attitude 
of  Bismarck  in  regard  to  his  King,  as  ordained  of  God,  to 
rule  over  the  Prussian  people,  then  it  would  require  a  high- 
power  microscope  to  detect  any  essential  variation. 
11  Meantime,  we  go  on  building  dreadnaughts  and  inscribe  on 
our  coins,  "In  God  We  Trust." 

King  William  in  Bismarck's  day  refused  the  people's  paper 
crown  of  the  Frankfort  assembly,  but  plotted  to  have  one 
offered  to  him  by  the  princes  of  Germany.  Was  he,  logically, 
any  more  inconsistent  than  is  our  own  "manifest  destiny" 
conception  of  America? 

B   M   • 

fiFor  it  is  ever  the  way  with  strong  men  to  believe  them- 
selves the  Lord's  anointed,  likewise  with  strong  nations — and 
democratic  America  is  no  exception. 

"Chinese"  Gordon  carried  with  him  wood  of  the  real  Cross, 
as  he  believed,  and  read  his  Bible  day  by  day,  up  to  the  last, 
confident  that  he  was  in  the  charge  of  some  unseen  power 
for  good,  as  against  the  destroying  African  tribes  around 
Khartum. 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  153 

Henry  M.  Stanley's  books  are  honeycombed  with  appeals  to 
God  as  his  guide  and  protector;  he  believed  that  God  was 
with  him  in  "Darkest  Africa,"  would  see  him  through  at  the 
price  of  how  many  negro  murders  it  mattered  not,  warding 
off  fever,  discouragement,  starvation,  and  standing  ever  on 
the  white  man's  side. 

In  America,  where  the  "Divine-right"  of  kings  is  a  subject 
of  political  ridicule,  it  is  a  fact  that  in  the  courts  we  raise 
our  right  hand  and  swear  to  tell  the  whole  truth;  our  mar- 
riage ceremonies  are  consecrated;  and  the  last  word  at  the 
grave  is  that  God  is  our  refuge;  we  have  our  chaplains  who 
speak  of  God  on  our  battleships,  and  in  our  armies;  in  the 
Autumn  the  President  of  the  United  States  invokes  a  bless- 
ing for  bountiful  crops,  and  returns  the  Nation's  thanks  to 
God  for  these  favors. 

flAll  this  is  no  more  illogical  than  that  Bismarck  should 
insist  that  the  Hohenzollerns,  his  masters,  obtained  their 
right  to  rule  as  a  direct  dispensation  from  high  heaven,  as 
against  the  Hapsburgs,  who  were  Prussia's  rivals.  Bismarck 
preached  his  theological-political  dogma  with  intense  earnest- 
ness during  his  long  life;  and  at  last  the  people  must  have 
been  impressed  with  his  arguments — or  was  it  that  he  forced 
them  to  his  way  of  thinking  ? 


CHAPTER   XII 

HlmTit  attfc  Jlrott 

41 

William  I  writes  his  abdication,  and  is  about  to  quit 
in  disgust;  Bismarck  says,  "Tear  that  letter  up!" 

If  Along  about  1857,  our  poor  William  IV  lost  his  mind;  for 
four  years  he  continued  a  nervous  wreck;  his  brother,  Wil- 
liam I,  was  the  sick  man's  representative  as  Prussian  king; 
and  in  '61,  when  William  IV  died,  William  I  became  sov- 
ereign ruler  of  pugnacious  Prussia. 

fl  The  common  people  welcomed  William  I  with  open  arms, 
that  is  to  say,  adoring  a  fighting  man,  and  long  disappointed 


154  Blood    and    Iron 

by  the  timidity  and  vacillation  of  kind-hearted  William  IV, 
with  his  church-building  plans  and  his  Jerusalem  bishoprics, 
it  seemed  as  though  the  reactionary  character  of  Prussian 
political  life  might  now  come  to  an  end. 

Frederick's  many-sidedness  was  in  sharp  contrast  to  Wil- 
liam's one-sidedness;  Frederick's  unfixed  decision  is  now  ex- 
pressed by  William's  unvarying  will.  Where  Frederick  had 
been  brilliant  and  imaginative,  William  was  cold  and  solid. 
U  William  was  now  over  sixty,  at  which  age  men's  lives,  as 
a  rule,  are  in  eclipse. 

Yet  this  man  of  destiny  had  still  in  store  the  making  of  a 
modern  Caesar.  He  was  to  become  king  of  kings,  ruler  of 
an  empire  whose  individual  units  were  commanded  not  by 
democrats  trying  new  ambitions;  but  instead,  many  monarchs 
were  to  proclaim,  "William,  Emperor  of  United  Germany!" 
U  This  son  of  Queen  Louise,  mother  of  Prussia,  was  now  to 
justify  the  sacrifices  of  the  great  German  foster-mother; 
for  as  she  had  labored  with  Scharnhorst  to  perfect  the  Prus- 
sian military,  and  in  the  hour  of  Prussia's  extremity  dared 
to  confront  even  the  great  Napoleon  himself,  likewise  her 
son  William  was  now  to  complete,  years  later,  the  mother's 
ideals. 

Where  she  scattered  seed  on  fallow  ground,  the  son  was  to 
reap  his  abundant  harvest  of  Prussian  glory. 
U  "Whoever  wishes  to  rule  Germany  must  conquer  it;  and 
that  cannot  be  done  with  phrases,"  wrote  William,  22  years 
before  he  was  crowned  at  Versailles. 

H     H    H 

U  We  have  seen  all  manner  of  Hohenzollerns — robber-knight 
Hohenzollerns — landscape-gardening  Hohenzollerns — church- 
building  Hohenzollerns — and  Hohenzollerns  tied  to  a  woman'* 
apron  string. 

A  brave,  practical,  common-sense  Hohenzollern  is  now  head 
of  the  distinguished  Prussian  house. 

William  I  is  flatly  opposed  to  Liberalism,  but  is  shrewd 
enough  to  have  a  moderate  Liberal  among  his  kingly  ad- 
visers; for  William  realizes  the  political  weakness  of  further 
constitution-tinkering. 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  155 

fl  Finally,  we  have  before  us  a  man  as  obstinate  as  Bismarck, 
but  without  Bismarck's  creative  imagination;  a  Prussian 
King  reared  in  the  army,  who  loved  the  army,  who  under- 
stood the  army; — even  as  Bismarck  understood  political  in- 
trigue. The  combination  was  unique! 

Also,  we  have  here  a  William  of  enormous  ambition,  little 
suspected  under  his  rather  conventional  innocent-appearing 
German  mask. 


If  We  come  now  to  a  place  where  furious  political  torrents 
begin  beating  down  the  ancestral  forests  of  Germany;  torn 
by  flashes  of  lightning  and  the  ominous  roll  of  thunders,  the 
air  is  filled  with  broken  boughs,  flying  leaves  and  clouds  of 
dust. 

Bismarck,  god  of  thunder,  rides  upon  the  furious  storm. 
Let  us  closely  follow  the  general  track  of  the  hurricane  now 
raging  in  Prussia,  more  especially  in  the  Prussian  Chamber. 
1f  In  '59,  William  had  appointed  von  Roon  Minister  of  War; 
the  people  objected,  declaring  it  another  evidence  of  Wil- 
liam's reactionary  principles.  The  plan  was  to  increase  the 
army  from  130,000  in  peace  and  215,000  in  war  to  190,000  in 
peace  and  450,000  in  war. 

It  really  meant  universal  military  service  for  Prussia,  with 
63,000  recruits  each  year,  practically  doubling  the  service, 
making  it  possible  within  a  decade  to  call  possibly  1,200,000 
soldiers! 

If  The  Chamber  of  Deputies  opposed  the  plan,  vigorously. 
However,  the  Chamber  in  a  patriotic  moment  had  voted  army 
money  on  condition  that  the  increase  was  only  incidental, 
but  William  while  saying  little  of  his  plans  acted  as  though 
his  army  appropriations  were  to  be  permanent,  henceforth. 
If  Over  this  question,  a  bitter  controversy!  The  King  took 
the  ground  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  Deputies  to  raise  the 
cash  in  such  sums  as  were  required  for  state  purposes — 
whatever  these  might  be,  in  the  opinion  of  the  King. 
It  was  conceded  that,  in  military  matters,  William's  judg- 
ment was  good,  but  the  Liberals  did  not  much  like  these  great 
military  expenses. 


156  Blood   and   Iron 

William  even  thought  of  breaking  the  deadlock  by  abolishing 
parliament  and  ruling  alone,  or  abdicating  his  throne! 
He  had  already  written  out  his  abdication,  so  the  story  goes, 
and  it  was  lying  on  his  desk,  all  signed,  awaiting  the  mo- 
ment of  proclamation. 

If  At  the  eleventh  hour,  William  bethought  himself  of  an 
invincible  fighting  man,  Otto  von  Bismarck,  widely  known  for 
boldness  and  independence. 

If  "I  am  willing  to  carry  out  your  policy,  whether  Parliament 
is  agreed  or  not!  I  will  rather  perish  with  my  King  than 
forsake  Your  Majesty  in  the  contest  with  Parliamentary 
government!" 

11  And  William  tore  up  the  abdication  paper  and  replied, 
"Let's  get  down  to  business!" 

SI    H     H 

42 

The  four  years'  conflict  era — Here  Bismarck  is  at 
last  revealed  in  his  true  character — King's  Man  su- 
preme ! 

If  Ten  years  of  rough-and-tumble  fighting  in  the  blind  alleys 
of  political  intrigue  have  now  prepared  Otto  von  Bismarck 
for  great  things.  In  the  solemn  years  to  come,  all  is  yet  to 
be  dignified  by  the  formation  of  an  Empire,  through  blood 
and  iron. 

flThe  King's  ambition  grew  on  what  it  fed  upon — a  desire 
for  Prussian  aggrandizement,  at  all  hazards,  and  the  ulti- 
mate solution  of  the  German  problem  through  Prussian 
power  of  arms.  He  made  up  his  mind,  accordingly,  that  he 
ought  to  reorganize  the  army;  for  this  purpose  he  had  asked 
the  Chamber  for  12,000,000  thalers. 

The  cat  slipped  out  of  the  bag,  in  spite  of  precautions.  This 
12,000,000  thalers  was  to  be  used  to  buy  needle-guns  and 
powder,  in  the  oncoming  War  of  the  Brothers. 

Our  William  I,  whatever  he  might  be,  was  at  least  no 
namby-pamby  sentimentalist.  That  honest  German  face, 
those  kindly  blue  eyes,  his  high  complexion,  made  him  look 
as  guileless  as  a  happy  school  boy;  but  he  had  his  deep  desire 
for  place  and  power,  side  by  side  with  Bismarck. 


Blood    Is   Thicker   Than    Water  157 

flit  was  a  most  fortunate  day  for  this  hard-headed  unimag- 
inative William  that  Otto  von  Bismarck,  in  the  Autumn  of 
1862,  accepted  the  Portfolio  of  Prussian  Minister.  William 
wanted  a  strong  man  to  fight  the  hostile  radical  deputies  for 
that  12,000,000  thalers,  for  the  war-chest. 
There  is  no  use  casting  about  for  fair  words  to  butter  pars- 
nips. The  long-deferred  irrepressible  War  of  the  Brothers 
was  determined  upon;  and  the  Prussian  dynasty  was  to  wade 
through  seas  of  blood  to  the  heights  of  glory;  and  the  pur- 
pose was  ever  to  end  this  age-old  German  family  strife. 
If  William  I  is  deservedly  a  great  German  national  hero.  He 
is  the  true  father  of  his  country. 

If  We  see  nothing  to  criticise.  The  situation  is  very  human; 
and  the  leading  actors  play  their  difficult  parts  with  dis- 
crimination. In  your  own  life's  conquests,  do  you  do  any 
more,  and  often  do  you  not  do  less?  Is  it  not  true  in  your 
own  life  that  you  have  to  fight  for  what  you  achieve  ?  Truly, 
the  world  belongs  to  him  who  seizes  it.  William  knew  this; 
Bismarck  certainly  knew  it;  and  in  this  respect  the  two  great 
men  were  agreed.  So  far,  good.  In  broad  outline  the  plan 
was  to  make  the  Prussian  dynastic  government  rule  over 
territorial  United  Germany;  but  it  must  come  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  rulers  of  the  independent  German  states  and  not 
through  decrees  of  people's  parliaments  or  the  bowlings  of 
mobs. 

If  As  for  Bismarck,  he  was  the  one  man  of  the  hour  for  black 
situations.  His  schooling  in  human  nature  had  progressed 
amazingly.  For  the  past  ten  years,  at  Frankfort,  at  St. 
Petersburg,  at  Paris,  at  Vienna,  Bismarck  had  fallen  afoul 
of  all  leading  political  strategists  of  Europe,  men  gloating 
over  the  problem  of  annexing  to  their  private  estates  the 
divided  German  thirty-nine  states:  Bismarck  had  studied  the 
individual  line  of  battle  of  Frenchman,  Russian,  Italian, 
Dane,  Britain,  to  say  nothing  of  the  ambitions  of  princelings, 
counts,  deputies,  margraves,  prelates,  poets,  and  political 
hen-coop  makers; — knew  too,  how  at  the  critical  moment  to 
block  their  individual  games  and  just  when  to  give  his  own 
deadly  knockout — either  above  or  below  the  belt! 


158  Blood   and   Iron 

If  During  his  period  of  preparation,  as  we  have  seen,  for 
twenty  years  Bismarck  had  consistently  preached  "Divine- 
right,"  stood  for  what  he  called  "Christian  monarchy." 
For  years,  also,  it  appeared  that  the  thing  was  for  Prussia 
to  enter  into  a  close  political  union  with  Austria,  but  now 
Bismarck  was  convinced  that  he  must  fight  Austria.  Fight 
or  shake  hands  were  the  same  to  the  giant  Otto;  the  thing 
was  to  win,  if  not  in  one  way  then  in  another!  Otto,  after 
his  Frankfort  experiences  saw  clearly  Austria's  under-play 
to  dominate  the  political  situation;  and  in  turn  felt  himself 
called  upon  to  check  Austrian  ambition  in  favor  of  his  liege 
lord,  the  Margrave  of  Brandenburg,  the  King  of  Prussia. 
U  Finally,  Bismarck's  great  chance  came.  William  asked 
Bismarck  to  force  the  army  bill. 

Now  indeed  will  the  giant  rage,  snapping  his  teeth  in  the 
face  of  the  hurricane, — yes,  four  long  years  he  is  to  rule 
without  color  of  law. 


43 

On  comes  the  storm — Not  by  speechmaking  but  by 
blood  and  iron  are  the  great  questions  to  be  decided, 
says  Bismarck! 

least,  we  admit  that  William  I  was  a  thoroughbred 
Hohenzollern  in  innate  admiration  of  the  iron  fist! 
Now  this  was  the  situation:  The  secret  war-chest  against 
Austria  had  to  be  filled  in  one  way  or  another;  but  the  diffi- 
culty was  found  in  the  fact  that  the  common  people,  acting 
under  a  mysterious  instinct  not  to  be  explained  but  very  real 
withal,  had  already  begun  to  show  unrest  about  an  approach- 
ing War  of  the  Brothers,  as  the  sentimentalists  called  the 
irrepressible  conflict  between  Austria  and  Prussia.  The  up- 
shot was  that  Bismarck's  political  secrets  while  not  defin- 
itely understood  in  detail,  were  quite  generally  divined  by 
close  students  of  the  German  problem.  The  Liberals  were 
intent  on  their  own  interests,  in  Prussia,  and  believed  that 
their  political  solution  depended  on  hampering  the  King,  re- 
gardless of  his  cause.  Hence  the  Liberal  deputies  of  the 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  159 

Chamber  spunkily  stood  out  against  William's  heavy  de- 
mands for  cannon  and  gunpowder. 

T|  Bismarck,   as   King's   Minister,   had  to   face   the   political 
storm.     He  did  not  dare  to  say  that  he  wanted  the  money 
for  war;  he  wanted  the  money — was  not  that  enough? 
Thereupon,  Bismarck  proceeded  to  domineer  over  the  dele- 
gates. 

The  Chamber  was  willing  to  do  something,  but  how  about 
the  rumor  that  these  huge  appropriations  are  to  be  hereafter 
a  permanent  item  in  the  budget?  Bismarck  would  not  make 
the  delegates'  minds  easy;  he  wanted  money,  much  money, 
12,000,000  thalers  in  fact,  for  the  army — and  the  least  the 
delegates  could  do  was  to  vote  the  funds.  If  they  did  not 
give  the  cash  gracefully,  why  he  would  coerce  the  deputies 
— that  was  all! 

11  "It  is  not  by  speechifying  and  majorities,"  he  thundered, 
"that  the  great  questions  of  the  time  will  be  decided — that 
was  the  great  mistake  in  '48  and  in  '49,— BUT  BY  BLOOD 
AND  IRON." 

JT  Members  of  the  Chamber  shrank  in  horror. 
There  were  extremely  powerful  and  learned  men  there,  to 
combat  Bismarck's  point  of  view,  and  our  political  conspir- 
ator on  his  emperor-hunt  had  to  listen  to  some  of  the  most 
merciless  rebukes  he  was  ever  to  hear,  during  his  long  and 
highly  exciting  career.  But  he  took  them  all,  without  a 
whimper. 

If  "We  have  too  many  Catalines  existing  among  us  that  have 
an  interest  in  social  uprisings,"  Bismarck  thundered.  "Ger- 
many considers  not  the  Liberalists  of  Prussia,  but  her  own 
power.  Bavaria,  Wuertemberg  and  Baden  may  flirt  with 
liberalism,  but  no  German  would  think  on  that  account  of 
asking  them  to  assume  the  role  of  Prussia.  Prussia  must 
brace  herself,  for  the  fitter  moment.  Prussia's  borders  are 
not  favorable  to  the  development  of  a  healthy  state." 

M    H     H 

1JThe  giant  Pomeranian  King's  Man  with  his  turbulent  sup- 
port of  his  monarch,  now  advanced  reasons  to  show  his  side, 
and  concluded  by  mocking  his  hearers  to  do  their  worst. 


160  Blood   and   Iron 

fl"What  matter  if  they  hang  me,  provided  the  rope  binds 
this  new  Germany  more  firmly  to  the  throne?" 
fl  A  few  days  after  this  sensational  defiance  of  Democratic 
leaders,  Bismarck  announced  his  decision:  "We  shall  carry 
on  the  finances  of  the  state  without  the  conditions  provided 
for  in  the  Constitution." 

U  Bismarck  was  not  surprised  at  the  storms  of  protest. 
"Some  progressive  journals  hope  to  see  me  picking  oakum 
for  the  benefit  of  the  state."  The  comic  newspapers  pictured 
Bismarck  as  a  ballet  dancer,  pirouetting  over  eggs  marked 
Right,  Law,  Order,  Reform,  Constitution. 
fl  The  King  became  alarmed. 

H  "I  see  how  this  will  end,"  said  the  King.    "Over  there,  near 
the  opera  house,  in  front  of  my  windows,  they  will  cut  off 
your  head,  and  mine  a  little  afterwards." 
II "And  after  that,  sire?"  asked  Bismarck  spunkily. 
fl  "After  that,  why  we  shall  be  dead!" 

fl  "Oh,  well,  all  must  die,"  cut  in  Bismarck  indifferently,  "and 
the  question  is  can  a  man  die  more  honorably  than  for  his 
country?  I  am  fighting  for  your  cause,  and  you  are  sealing 
with  your  own  blood  your  rights  as  King,  by  the  grace  of 
God. 

U"Your  Majesty  is  bound  to  fight!  You  cannot  capitulate! 
You  must,  even  at  the  risk  of  bodily  danger,  go  forth  to  meet 
any  attempt  at  coercion!" 

fiAs  Bismarck  spoke,  the  King  grew  more  and  more  ani- 
mated. "He  began  to  assume  the  part  of  one  fighting  for 
kingdom  and  fatherland,"  wrote  Bismarck,  in  explaining  the 
situation. 

B    BJ    • 

flThe  giant's  very  soul  glowed  with  fiery  indignation.  It 
was  not  in  his  nature  to  hesitate,  as  to  means.  He  wanted 
these  12,000,000  thalers  for  the  army — and  was  not  that 
enough?  True,  he  could  not  say  in  the  open  that  he  wished 
to  expel  Austria — but  must  an  elephant  step  on  your  foot? 
If  He  had  no  scruples,  moral  or  material ;  such  are  for  lesser 
men.  Hamlet-questioning  princes,  if  you  please,  may  solilo- 
quize on  life  and  its  inner  meaning;  but  not  your  Otto  von 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  161 

Bismarck,  with  his  clear  view  of  the  little  lives  of  men  and 
with  his  correct  conviction  that  if  the  intervening  thirty-nine 
German  states  are  to  be  made  a  unit  in  a  German  Empire, 
then  under  Heaven  or  under  Hell,  the  thirty-nine  states  must 
be  seized,  even  in  a  hurricane  of  bullets  if  necessary.  Could 
anything  be  simpler?  Had  not  the  "German  problem,"  as 
it  was  called,  been  talked  to  death  generation  after  genera- 
tion, and  had  not  lawyers,  poets,  preachers,  philosophers  and 
petty  princes  unnumbered  come  and  gone  with  their  impos- 
sible enterprises  looking  to  National  glory  and  political 
legitimacy  ? 

If  Bismarck  was,  as  usual,  everlastingly  correct  in  his  polit- 
ical instincts;  and  furthermore  he  had  the  iron  will  to  power 
to  support  him  in  this  great  Prussian  conflict;  yes,  and  the 
wizardry  in  manipulating  human  nature  that,  in  the  end, 
would  cause  even  obstinate,  opposed  political  leaders  to  do 
our  giant's  bidding. 

flWhat  he  demanded  was  absolute,  blind,  unquestioning  obe- 
dience from  this  Assembly;  then,  the  Prussian  army  must 
fight  like  fiends;  and  lastly,  he  would  take  personal  responsi- 
bility for  the  issue.  Mahommet  himself  never  urged  war  on 
Christian  dogs  with  more  zeal  than  did  this  fiery  Bismarck, 
battling  with  his  own  German  kind.  To  shame  them,  to 
beat  them  over  their  backs  with  hot  irons  if  necessary — 
anything  would  he  do  to  force  Prussia  to  fight  Austria,  and 
arouse  thus  with  a  sense  of  blood-brotherhood  the  thirty- 
nine  states,  for  Germany's  great  glory.  This  was  his  reli- 
gion— and  do  you  now  get  the  man  behind  it  ? 
If  Of  course,  it  was  all  cleverly  masked  under  the  plea  of 
Prussian  army  reforms,  pure  and  simple,  and  in  general 
the  fight  between  Bismarck  and  the  Chamber  seemed  to  turn 
on  the  right  of  a  Minister  to  force  appropriations  for  the 
support  of  the  government,  regardless  of  parliamentary  un- 
willingness. Bismarck  held  to  his  general  principle  that 
the  Deputies  had  no  authority  to  refuse  the  King  funds  to 
enlarge  the  army.  The  deputies  were  pledged  to  support  the 
government,  not  to  starve  or  ignore  it,  was  Bismarck's  con- 
tention. 


1 62  Blood   and   Iron 

flThe  Liberals  raged  and  stormed,  called  him  "demented 
Bismarck,"  "Napoleon  worshiper,"  "hollow  braggart,"  "a 
country  gentleman  of  moderate  political  training,  inconsist- 
ent, nonchalant,  insolent  to  a  degree; — pray  when  did  Bis- 
marck ever  express  a  political  thought?" 
King  William's  choice  was  exceedingly  unpopular,  but  be- 
tween Von  Roon  and  Bismarck  there  was  now  to  be  set  up  the 
most  efficient  military  instrument  known  to  history;  that  is 
to  say,  an  all-powerful  Prussian  army  of  gigantic  propor- 
tions, armed  with  the  newly-invented  needle-guns.  Such  was 
to  be  Von  Roon's  contribution.  Bismarck's  was  to  arouse  at 
home  the  slumbering  great  "German  National  sentiment" 
that  made  failure  impossible,  at  the  front.  Under  God,  Bis- 
marck believed  in  the  justness  of  his  cause. 
H  In  the  interim,  before  the  first  cannon  was  to  roar,  Bis- 
marck, the  political  wizard,  was  to  tie  the  hands  of  every 
other  European  monarch — either  by  bribes,  idle  promises  or 
what  you  will — that  the  war  might  be  fought  to  a  finish 
without  hazard  of  Allies  coming  to  the  rescue  of  the  Em- 
peror on  the  South. 

m  m  m 

H  The  parliamentary  debaters  who  thundered  against  Bis- 
marck came  on  with  all  manner  of  attacks.  The  learned  v. 
Sybel,  the  great  authority  on  the  French  revolution,  cried 
out  his  many  historical  warnings;  Dr.  Virchow,  known  for 
his  work  on  skeletons  of  the  mammoth,  battled  along  other 
historical  lines;  Dr.  Gneist,  the  very  learned  member,  ex- 
claimed in  a  burst  of  moral  indignation,  "This  army  reor- 
ganization of  yours  has  the  marks  of  Cain  on  its  brow!" 
And  to  this  insulting  speech,  von  Roon  immediately  replied, 
"That  speech  of  yours  bears  the  stamp  of  arrogance  and 
impudence!"  Virchow  challenged  Bismarck  to  a  duel,  for 
defamatory  remarks  on  the  doctor's  scientific  attainments. 
To  this  Bismarck  replied: 

H  "I  am  past  the  time  of  life  when  one  takes  advice  from 
flesh  and  blood,  in  such  things  as  now  confront  us.  When 
I  stake  my  life  for  a  matter,  I  do  so  in  that  faith  which  I 
have  strengthened  by  long  and  severe  struggling — but  also 


Blood   Is    Thicker   Than    Water  163 

in  honest  and  humble  prayer  to  God,  a  faith  which  no  word 

of  man,  even  that  of  friend  in  Christ  and  servant  of  his 

church,  can  overthrow!" 

If  Magnificent,  magnificent  you  are,  at  this  supreme  moment, 

you  big  bull-dog  Bismarck,  and  you  can  whip  them  three  to 

one,  when  the  great  day  comes. 

fl  Bismarck  gained  in  power  as  he  exercised  his   strength. 

He  kept   Prussia  steady  during  the   perilous  times  of  the 

Crimean  war;  even  urged  an  alliance  with  the  French — think 

of  that! — to  gain  secret  ends  for  Prussia;  but  the  Prussian 

king,  who  hated  rulers  of  revolutionary  origin,  was  opposed 

to  Bismarck's  master-scheme;  that  is  to  say,  William  held 

in  contempt  Napoleon  III,  hero  of  the  trick,  known  as  the 

coup  d'  etat,  which  won  a  crown.    But  Bismarck  had  no  such 

scruples. 

At  St.  Petersburg,  Bismarck  won  the  Czar — for  which  the 

Liberals  hated  Otto  the  more.     His  arts  of  diplomacy  were 

expanding  in  all  directions. 

Foreshadowing  the  war  with  Austria,  Bismarck  planned  to 

keep  Italy,  France,  Russia,  England  and  Belgium  quiet  by 

various  intrigues  of  politics — and  how  well  he  succeeded  we 

shall  learn  later  on. 

g     S     13 

44 

The  storm  increases — Bismarck  decides  to  defy  the 
Chamber  and  rule  alone! 

fl  In  the  general  turmoil,  along  comes  a  fanatic  named  Cohen, 
who  attempts  to  kill  Bismarck. 

This  was  in  May,  1866.  The  war  broke  within  thirty  days! 
Cohen  fired  point-blank  three  shots,  and  there  was  a  personal 
struggle.  The  giant  coolly  handed  the  would-be  murderer 
over  to  the  guards,  then  went  home.  His  greeting  to  his 
wife  was  characteristic.  "They  have  tried  even  to  kill  me, 
my  dear,  but  do  not  mind,  no  harm  has  been  done.  Let  us 
go  out  to  dinner." 

It  was  a  time  of  assassins  and  their  plots  follow.  Struck 
down  by  the  police,  Ferd  Cohen,  step-son  of  Karl  Blind, 
meets  in  the  eyes  of  the  Democrats  a  martyr's  death;  his 


164  Blood   and   Iron 

body  is  crowned  with  flowers,  as  though  the  corpse  were  a 
consecration  of  Prussian  Liberalism  on  the  altar  of  liberty. 
The  frenzy  takes  still  other  forms;  suicide  cults  become  no- 
torious; here  and  there,  we  read  that  some  lunatic  patriot 
"seeks  voluntary  death,  for  the  sacred  cause  of  the  people." 
U  And  as  for  Cohen,  ladies  of  high  degree  bring  flowers, 
soldiers  of  the  common  cause  wear  on  their  coats  his  picture 
crowned  with  oak  leaves.  The  cult  of  murder,  with  Bismarck 
as  the  arch  enemy  in  the  centre  of  the  picture,  was  indulged 
to  prevent  what  was  termed  the  War  of  the  Brothers. 
U  "I  believe,"  rumbled  the  granite  rock  Bismarck,  with  frown- 
ing clouds  around  his  brow,  "I  do  solemnly  believe  in  victory 
— whether  or  not  I  shall  live  to  see  it!"  This  speech  was 
regarded  as  little  short  of  blasphemy! 

If  Bismarck  now  spoke  more  than  ever  of  God,  and  of  high 
German  convictions.  There  was  always  grave  danger  of  in- 
gratitude, of  insufficiency  of  time  and  place,  but  he  certainly 
thought  God  on  his  side. 

If  What  lashed  Bismarck  into  fury  was  the  contention  that 
the  Crown  and  the  two  Chambers  were  equal,  in  political 
legitimacy. 

If  "All  constitutional  life,"  roared  Bismarck,  "is  based  on 
constitutional  compromises." 

H   B  fl 

H  Day  after  day,  Bismarck,  the  Prussian  bull-dog,  and  von 
Roon,  the  terrifying  drill-master,  would  appear  at  the  Cham- 
ber, on  the  oak  bench  in  full  view  of  the  angry  deputies. 
Time  and  again,  through  political  jugglery,  angry  members 
attempted  to  oust  the  Minister,  but  Bismarck  was  equal  to 
every  occasion.  He  actually  ruled  for  four  years  without  a 
legal  budget.  He  conceded  that  point,  too.  He  set  up  that 
it  was  his  solemn  sworn  duty  to  support  his  King,  and  since 
the  Chamber  refused  to  vote  the  12,000,000  thalers,  why,  it 
became  the  Minister's  duty  to  get  the  money,  by  fair  means 
or  by  foul. 

TIAnd  get  it,  he  did! 

It  was  all  wretchedly  unconstitutional — of  this  there  is  no 
doubt.  Bismarck  never  made  any  pretenses  o'l  that  score. 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  165 

After  the  Austrian  war,  an  act  of  "immunity"  was  passed,  in 
his  behalf. 

fl  From  quarreling  about  the  secret  war-chest,  the  disputants 
next  began  a  mighty  wrangling  about  rules.  Bismarck's 
points  were  always  ingenious.  He  averred  that,  as  King's 
Minister,  he  was  "in"  the  parliament  but  not  "of"  it.  "Min- 
isters must  always  be  listened  to  with  respect,"  he  contended. 
Thus,  he  forced  the  unwilling  Radicals  to  listen  to  hig  bel- 
lowing, in  behalf  of  the  Brothers'  War. 

ftBismarck  construed  in  his  own  favor  every  blessed  rule 
brought  up  to  oust  him.  The  Minister  was  exempt  from  the 
Chamber's  dominations,  he  insisted  in  a  hundred  ways. 
Violent  scenes  followed.  The  King  sent  long  messages  en- 
dorsing his  fighting  man;  the  Liberal  press  took  up  the  cry, 
in  support  of  Parliament;  and  thereupon  Bismarck  promptly 
muzzled  the  press. 

f  Our  Otto  is  now  becoming  the  best-hated  man  not  only  in 
Prussia  but  in  all  Europe. 

The  deputies  were  browbeaten,  legislative  officials  intimi- 
dated with  threats. 

fi  The  climax  came  on  that  day  of  hubbub  when  angry  mem- 
bers, swarming  around  Bismarck  and  von  Roon,  were  sent 
back  by  von  Roon's  thunderous  defiance.  Pointing  to  the 
gangway  before  his  bench,  he  hissed,  "Thus  far  and  no  far- 
ther!" 

IJThe  real  reason  why  Bismarck  fought  the  Chamber  for 
four  long  years  so  desperately  for  the  12,000,000  thalers,  to 
be  used  against  Austria,  was  this:  On  one  hand  he  wished 
to  nullify  the  importance  of  the  Prussian  Parliament,  and 
especially  in  the  matter  of  dictation  to  the  King,  either 
under  the  Constitution  or  not;  also,  to  thrust  at  the  same 
time,  Austria  out  of  the  German  body  of  the  nation. 
If  He  became  a  fanatic  on  the  subject  of  expelling  Austria 
from  Germany!  He  had  no  scruples,  stopped  at  nothing, 
paused  at  nothing;  and  at  the  right  moment  defied  the  Cham- 
ber, smashed  the  Prussian  Constitution  that  would  restrain 
the  King's  action  in  peace  or  war — and  ruled  alone! 
fl  There  are  few  parallels  in  history  of  a  stronger  man. 


166  Blood   and    Iron 

fl  Looked  at  in  a  large  way,  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that 
the  German  masses  were  not  ready  to  believe,  at  this  mo- 
ment, in  Bismarck's  Old  Testament  faith  in  a  God  of  Battles. 
To  fulfil  the  Bismarckian  political  ideal,  there  was  essential 
an  implied  humility  on  part  of  the  people;  and  this  attitude 
of  submission  and  renunciation  was  a  sin  against  the  spirit 
of  '48.  Bismarck's  idea  of  political  efficiency  was  also  by 
no  means  worked  out  in  detail;  it  had  yet  to  find  a  place 
for  the  tailor,  the  shoemaker  and  the  barber,  side  by  side 
with  the  King  of  Prussia;  even  that  miracle  was  ultimately 
accomplished,  but  at  the  present  hour  the  street-bred  people 
felt  it  their  solemn  duty  to  get  up  and  howl,  and  to  profess 
to  know  nothing  of  political  efficiency,  wherever  kings  were 
concerned. 

U  At  all  times,  the  speeches  of  the  crowd  in  the  market-place 
were  blatant  enough,  but  there  was  also  an  unrecognized 
undercurrent  of  courage  and  patriotism  passing  with  the 
flood  that  was  to  mean  much  to  Germany,  in  days  to  come. 
The  cause  of  the  crowd  was  really  an  early  form  of  our  vital 
modernist  democratic  movement,  not  to  be  put  down  nor  yet 
shut  out;  all  political  life  was  to  be  revalued,  also  all  new 
ideas  of  political  happiness  were  to  be  henceforth  tested  by 
their  virility  and  actuality,  cutting  away  completely  book- 
ish ideals. 

H The  part  that  lagged  was  this:  leaders  of  the  people  were 
soon  over-engaged,  so  to  say,  with  the  many-sided  aspects 
and  problems  of  the  new  political  leadership;  the  German 
compatriots  failed  at  this  time  to  realize  their  obligations  to 
a  German  Empire,  to  be;  the  people's  politicians  were  still 
insular  with  little  or  no  consciousness  of  the  great  German 
National  destiny  just  around  the  bend  of  the  road.  Thus, 
Bismarck's  function  was  to  force  the  people  to  join  the  Na- 
tional movement — do  so  as  it  were  in  spite  of  themselves; 
and  when  Bismarck  fought  back  and  called  the  people  fools, 
he  did  not  pause  there,  but  stopped  at  nothing  to  lead  a 
hitherto  indifferent  people  to  warlike  patriotism  over  the 
Austrian  question — over  which  they  had  gabbled  and  slept 


Blood   Is   Thicker    Than    Water  167 

for  years.  Bismarck's  unity  of  purpose  for  the  Fatherland 
deftly  combined  sordid  as  well  as  exalted  motives. 
fiAnd  the  demands  Bismarck  finally  made  on  German  char- 
acter were  not  in  vain.  For  years,  however,  he  was  looked 
upon  as  an  ogre  in  the  eyes  of  the  masses,  who  misread  his 
patriotism  for  jingoism  in  behalf  of  the  King  of  Prussia. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

(ZHp  Dream  uf  iuttpir* 

45 

Bismarck     tricks     them     all — and     by     underplay 
matches  King  against  King. 

If  Von  Roon  had  the  soldiers  up  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
incessantly  drilling  for  the  oncoming  War  of  the  Brothers. 
The  deadly  needle-guns — von  Roon's  secret — were  relied  on 
to  do  superior  work  in  the  impending  great  crisis. 
If  Blood  and  iron — yes,  that  is  the  thing! 
If  About  this  time,  Bismarck  executes  another  master-stroke. 
He  decides  to  intervene  in  Poland,  in  favor  of  Russia;  and 
certainly  he  has  now  to  face  a  "word  of  wrath." 
England  sets  up  a  cry,  "Stop  thief!"    Exeter  Hall  statesmen, 
"brotherhood  of  man"  type,  begin  tearful  whinings. 
If  Louis  Napoleon  tries  to  form  an  alliance  between  England 
and  Austria,  and  England  offers  gold  for  a  copy  of  the  Russo- 
Prussian   agreement,  affecting  Poland.     Spies  were  every- 
where. 

If  Well,  10,000  Poles  perish  in  the  sacred  cause  of  liberty,  but 
mark:  That  in  helping  Russia  Bismarck  is  laying  the  founda- 
tion for  Russia's  neutrality  in  the  coming  master-stroke 
against  Austria.  What  do  the  lives  of  10,000  Poles  weigh 
in  the  balance  beside  the  great  strategic  necessities  to  en- 
compass Bismarck's  idea  of  a  United  Germany?  We  do  be- 
lieve that  Bismarck  has  the  only  practical  solution,  let  nom- 
inal Christians  say  what  they  will. 

fi  The  next  step,  to  bribe  France,  is  brought  about  craftily, 
through  a  customs'  arrangement;  and  when  some  of  the  Ger- 


1 68  Blood   and    Iron 

man  states  object,  Bismarck  replies:  "You  go  my  way  or  go 
your  own  way,  alone!" 

Also,  Italy  has  to  be  quieted  by  soothing  promises! 
U  Austria  now  sets  up  more  wind-baggery  and  gold  lace,  in 
the  form  of  a  new  parliament,  but  Bismarck  counters  with  a 
"proposed  German  parliament" — a  spurious  affair  to  be  sure, 
but  the  scare  has  its  weight. 

U  Dark  and  intricate  diplomacy  here  passes  before  the  eyes. 
Austria  fails  in  her  Congress  of  Sovereigns,  and  is  anxious 
likewise  to  retrieve  her  losses  in  the  Italian  war.  Bismarck 
at  least  knows  that  Austria  henceforth  is  powerless  to  in- 
flame German  states  against  Prussia,  also  that  the  growth 
of  Liberalism,  within  Austria's  own  domains,  is  again  keep- 
ing her  very  busy. 

If  Cast  your  eyes  toward  Paris.  Louis  the  Little  is  secretly 
plotting  with  both  sides — Bismarck's  spies  tell  all  to  th« 
old  man  up  in  Berlin!  Secretly,  Louis  feels  that  Prussia 
will  be  defeated;  the  French  Emperor  aims  at  what  he  calls 
the  balance  of  power — by  which  he  means  that  while  the 
two  big  dogs  are  fighting,  he  will  slip  in  and  steal  the  bone? 
Exactly  that! 

U  Many  years  later,  Bismarck  writing  of  this  period,  makes 
this  confession: 

fl  "Napoleon  secretly  thought  that  if  Austria  and  Prussia 
clashed,  Austria  would  win  and  then  France  would  step  in 
and  'protect'  Prussia;  later  on,  in  return  for  the  price  of  her 
French  favor,  Napoleon  III  believed  he  could  make  such 
terms  as  he  wished  with  our  Prussia." 

fl  Thus,  up  to  the  decisive  battle  of  Sadowa,  or  Koeniggraetz, 
France  remains  politely  bowing  and  scraping  to  both  sides — 
while  having  her  understanding  with  each  side. 
Napoleon  feels  that  he  will  in  time  be  asked  to  intervene,  and 
for  his  help  he  will  take  a  slice  of  the  Rhineland. 
Bismarck  did  not  undeceive  France — mark  that  well!  Later 
in  life,  the  Man  of  Blood  and  Iron,  taunted  with  the  charge 
of  attempting  to  give  away  German  territory,  made  a  strong 
"diplomatic"  defense.  He  fearlessly  produced  the  draft  of  a 
proposed  treaty  showing  that  France  was  conniving  to  ac- 
quire Belgium,  through  the  under-play  of  politics,  aided  by 
Bismarck. 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  169 


The  amusing  part  was  Bismarck's  solemn  reply,  "The  treaty 
was  drawn  up  by  Napoleon  himself,  and  was  offered  to  me 
for  signature!" 

Also,  to  show  that  he  is  disinterested,  Napoleon  now  pro- 
poses that  the  "differences"  between  Prussia  and  Austria  be 
settled  by  a  European  congress.  Austria  hangs  back,  al- 
though England  and  Russia  join  to  ask  for  the  Congress  of 
Settlement. 


46 

1864-1866 — Prussian  domination  essential  in  all  Bis- 
marck's plans — Consistent  in  his  inconsistencies. 

H  The  difficulties  of  Bismarck's  position  are  not  to  be  ascribed 
to  the  fact  that,  first  and  foremost,  he  desired  to  re-establish 
confidence  in  the  Feudal  theory  of  Divine-right  of  kings. 
His  life-long  plans  had  to  do  with  increasing  the  power  of 
Prussia  and  he  preached  the  legitimacy  of  his  loyal  master's 
house  as  an  American  politician  is  wont  to  eulogize  the  ser- 
vices of  the  "grand  old  Republican  party,"  or  "the  great  prin- 
ciples of  Jefferson,"  or  boasts  that  he  is  "progressive  and 
independent,"  whatever  that  may  mean. 
In  each  case,  the  appeal  is  to  a  given  audience,  with  the  hope 
of  adding  to  the  following. 

U  The  logic  of  hereditary  influences  placed  Bismarck  squarely 
in  line  as  King's  Man;  and  to  his  credit  be  it  said  that  he 
consistently  preached  one  gospel  throughout  his  long  politi- 
cal life. 

But  his  alignment  with  kings  was  more  than  mere  oppor- 
tunism, as  too  often  is  the  case  in  America,  among  the  '"peo- 
ple's" leaders. 

Bismarck  honestly  believed  that  the  logic  of  events  precluded 
any  change  in  rulership  over  the  Prussian  people;  and  in  his 
larger  view  Prussian  domination  must  eventually  spread  over 
the  German  states,  uniting  them  in  one  country — as  they  were 
already  united  by  blood  and  by  languages. 
H  That  he  battled  with  Austria,  the  rival  for  the  good  will 
of  the  German  states,  is  easily  explained.  It  is  not  human 


170  Blood   and    Iron 

nature  for  any  man  to  yield  what  to  him  promises  to  turn 
out  an  advantage. 

That  the  sovereigns  of  Prussia  held  their  crown  upon  the 
principle  of  Divine-right,  was  construed  also  to  impose  obli- 
gations; and  it  was  part  of  the  theory  that  the  King  and  his 
advisers  must  see  to  it  that  the  land  is  used  for  the  common 
good.  The  King  of  Prussia  swore  to  "Divine-right  to  the 
soil;  swore  to  defend  it;  swore  to  improve  it,  for  the  bene- 
fit of  all." 

11  Furthermore,  the  old-time  German  political  idealism  in 
which  brother  was  supposed  to  shake  hands  with  brother, 
sung  by  the  poet  Arndt,  in  his  romantic  semi-religious  lyrics 
of  liberty,  was  through  the  recent  German  revolution  (1848) 
replaced  by  a  new  type  of  positivist  German,  intent  on  money- 
success,  business  affairs,  economic  achievements.. 
The  century-long  dreams  of  National  unity  based  on  idealis- 
tic speeches,  poetry,  romantic  phrase-mongering,  was  now 
slowly  to  yield  to  a  new  spirit;  and  believers  in  German 
Unity  came  to  see  that  Prussian  supremacy  held  all  there 
was,  in  a  practical  way,  of  possible  German  centralization. 
Bismarck  certainly  saw  it  very  clearly  and  acted  accord- 
ingly in  his  future  political  appeals  and  alignments. 
^  Prussia  had  early  led  in  the  practical  business  of  clearing 
the  Chinese- walls  that  had  bound  many  of  the  petty  states; 
the  Zollverein  or  customs'  union,  begun  in  1818,  as  heretofore 
explained,  grew  in  power  with  the  extension  of  Prussian 
railroads  and  telegraphs;  the  Prussian  capitalistic  middle- 
classes,  intent  on  building  up  the  family  fortunes,  had  pros- 
pered in  proportion  as  the  customs'  union  had  been  extended, 
under  Prussian  domination;  and  accordingly  in  1849  Bis- 
marck, as  soon  as  Prussia  had  been  placed  herself  at  the 
head  of  this  Business  Union,  began  scheming  as  never  before 
to  win  German  Unity  through  economic  as  well  as  patriotic 
arguments. 

For  one  thing,  Bismarck  henceforth  studied  to  put  himself 
on  even  terms  with  the  commercial  interests  in  the  39  jealous 
states.  The  leaders  of  Liberalism  were,  as  a  rule,  men  of 
theoretical  rather  than  practical  ideas;  essentially  a  cultured 
61ite,  as  it  were,  engaged  in  babbling  about  German  Consti- 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  171 

tutions,  German  fraternal  alignments  and  impossible  German 
peace-parliaments. 

If  True,  the  good  faith  of  patriots  opposed  to  Bismarck 
is  undisputed;  but  the  King's  Man  was  a  man  with  an  ex- 
ceedingly strong  will  and  with  immense  practical  common 
sense  to  support  his  own  ideas;  a  man  who  to  bring  about 
his  beneficent  plan  of  German  Unity  followed  his  flag  even 
through  three  great  wars. 

This  will  of  iron  was  exercised  for  the  National  good;  and 
on  the  whole  exercised  wisely.  He  went  on  with  his  schem- 
ings  for  many  years,  from  day  to  day  making  the  best  use 
of  the  material  at  hand;  with  well-nigh  infallible  instinct 
seizing  on  the  very  forces  that  were  essential  in  years  to 
come  to  the  realization  of  his  ultimate  dream. 
U  Little  by  little  he  set  aside  the  professorial  class,  and  the 
cultured  elite  politicians,  and  the  theoretical  constitution- 
makers;  in  their  places  he  brought  forward  hard-headed 
middle-class  capitalists,  on  one  side,  and  the  supreme  mili- 
tary and  landed  Prussian  aristocracy,  on  the  other  side;  and 
after  overcoming  gigantic  obstacles  made  clear  to  the  aver- 
age German  peasant  that  both  wealth  and  authority  were  to 
be  properly  sustained  in  the  old  thorough-going  German 
fashion  only  by  having  no  more  to  do  with  semi-spiritual, 
politico-idealistic  aims  and  purposes;  also,  that  through  Bis- 
marck's proposed  new  type  of  Unity  the  peasant  on  one 
side  and  the  King  on  the  other  could  rise  to  even  higher 
worldly  positions  without  setting  aside  safe  old  lines  of  re- 
spect for  authority  through  a  Divine-right  king,  at  the  same 
time  sharing  the  royal  power  with  a  great  and  essentially 
democratic  public  opinion.  Thus,  Bismarck's  German  Na- 
tional enterprise,  although  not  thoroughly  understood  for 
many  years,  was  found  at  last  to  support  in  every  particular 
the  ancient  German  tradition  of  a  strong  fighting  man,  as 
leader  of  a  free  people. 

H     SI     H 

11  That  Bismarck  was  proud  and  old-fashioned  he  made  his 
boast,  his  joy,  his  strength. 

Opponents  held  him  up  to  obloquy,  picturing  his  ideas  as  pre- 
historic, even  antediluvian;  but  Bismarck  stood  the  prick  of 


172  Blood   and   Iron 

honor;  as  King's  Man  he  insisted  in  numberless  arguments, 
far  and  wide,  that  behind  the  Divine-right  idea  was  not  only 
a  sentimental  but  a  practical  side.  At  any  rate,  the  King's 
Man  was  everlastingly  against  any  movement  that  looked 
like  French  mob-rule. 

Tf  As  time  passed,  Bismarck  learned  gradually  that  he  need 
not  hesitate  to  throw  himself  fearlessly  forward,  with  this 
Divine-right  as  a  leverage,  to  express  the  legitimacy  of  the 
royal  house  for  which  he  battled. 

In  the  final  analysis  he  was  secretly  fortified  by  his  instinc- 
tive knowledge  of  the  peculiar  political  idiosyncrasies  of  Prus- 
sians; how  dog-like  in  the  final  analysis  is  their  submission 
to  the  political  conception  of  the  Over-man  who  rules  by 
Divine-right. 


fl  It  was  to  this  National  faith  that  Bismarck  was  constantly 
addressing  himself — this  loyalty  to  a  paternalistic  idea — and 
his  attitude  was  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  Chinese  in 
their  worship  of  ancestors,  or  of  an  American  who  preserves 
his  family  record. 

Bismarck  was  urging  family  unity  among  quarreling  Ger- 
man sons  and  daughters;  and  as  is  the  case  in  all  family 
feuds,  the  intrinsic  merits  of  the  controversy  were  often  over- 
looked and  the  time  taken  in  an  endeavor  to  inflict  personal 
humiliations. 

fl  Bismarck  was  essentially  appealing  to  National  honor, 
which  he  placed  higher  than  absolutism  or  republicanism,  ty- 
ranny or  democracy.  By  National  honor,  he  meant  the  Ger- 
man conception  of  an  over-lord  for  a  ruler,  preferably  one 
with  a  strong  military  record. 

Herein,  we  touch  the  core  of  Bismarck's  strength,  the  meas- 
ure of  his  greatness. 

When  a  man  fights,  on  honor,  for  institutions  which  his  fore- 
fathers slowly  fostered  and  sustained  through  six  hundred 
years  of  strife,  the  question  of  his  rights  or  his  wrongs  is 
merged  into  the  larger  question  of  chivalry. 
U  If  there  were  no  other  gift  which  might  be  set  up  to  justify 
for  Bismarck  a  commanding  position  among  the  world's 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  173 

great  figures,  his  conception  of  National  honor,  based  on 
powerful  personal  convictions,  his  inheritance,  bone  of  his 
bone,  flesh  of  his  flesh — utterly  apart  from  the  French  mob- 
rule  idea  of  liberty  expressed  in  license — Bismarck's  plea  for 
the  National  honor  of  Prussia,  as  the  custodian  of  ancient 
German  traditions,  suffices  to  stamp  Bismarck  as  the  true 
custodian  of  German  political  tradition  of  his  age. 
fl  To  this  might  reasonably  be  added  another  claim  which  in 
our  broad  view  of  Bismarck's  character  we  here  demand  for 
him  as  one  of  the  world's  great  men — courage  of  the  bull-dog 
type,  not  altogether  unselfish,  but  courage  and  remarkable 
consistency;  standing  the  acid  test  of  self-sacrifice  during 
thirty-odd  years'  vexatious  delays  in  attaining  his  goal;  a 
period  of  probation  certainly  long  enough  to  try  the  stoutest 
heart. 

U  With  qualities  of  this  supreme  order,  far  outside  average 
human  nature,  Bismarck  at  last  prepared  himself  to  win  his 
surprising  fight  for  a  United  Germany;  incidentally  stamp- 
ing himself,  his  power  and  his  purpose  high  among  the  great 
Germans  of  all  time,  from  Charlemagne  down. 

•  •    • 

fl  To  understand  these  ideas,  let  us  for  the  moment  look  for- 
ward as  well  as  backward.  Let  us  speak  in  general  terms, 
along  the  lines  of  the  realistic  politics,  that  Bismarck  was 
maturing,  as  against  the  old-time  German  sentimental  ideal- 
ism, once  the  political  hope  of  Unity. 

•  •    • 
47 

Bismarck's  whole  message  turns  on  the  urgency  of 
faith  among  the  German  people;  his  idea,  that 
United  Germany  must  be  achieved  by  faith,  alone! 

fi  Bismarck  had  the  well-nigh  impossible  task  of  organizing 
and  inspiring  a  common  political  faith  in  25,000,000  people, 
divided  by  religious,  climatic  and  personal  differences.  That 
at  times  he  utterly  failed  to  meet  the  situation  except  by 
political  hypocrisy,  is  merely  to  say  that  in  addition  to  being 
a  warrior  and  ultimately  the  conqueror  of  a  continent,  he 


174  Blood   and   Iron 

always  kept  within  hailing  distance  of  human  nature;  for 

when  he  could  not  win  his  way  with  a  kiss,  he  gained  it  with 

a  curse. 

fl  In  the  final  analysis  he  won,  largely  because  of  stirring 

faith  in  the  German  states. 

With  faith,  what  can  a  nation  not  do:  If  the  United  States, 

today,  had  deathless  belief  in  the  destiny  of  the  Republic 

that  Americans  emphasize  in  their  worship  of  the  Golden 

Calf,  a  bloodless  revolution  for  a  higher  standard  of  political 

thought  would  take  place  over  night. 

The  difficulty  is  that  with  the  average  American  National 

faith  is  dead. 

He  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  has  no  stake  in  the 

Government,  that  in  short  he  is  a  victim  to  the  machinations 

of  plutocrats. 

To  read  the  American  point  of  view,   (1915)   we,  today,  no 

less  than  the  Prussians  and  the  Austrians,  in   Bismarck's 

time,  are  also  about  to  spring  at  each  other's  throats!    There 

is  little  sentiment  for  National  unity;  it  is  the  East  against 

the  West,  in  Congress,  and  in  the  newspapers  it  is  the  people 

against  the  plutocrats.       g    g    g 

U  Bismarck's  career  affords  a  classical  instance,  in  these  poor 
times,  of  what  a  strong  man,  with  faith  in  himself  and  his 
cause,  can  do  against  all  manner  of  obstacles. 
Faith  in  himself  was  the  essence  of  his  power.  Over  and 
over,  he  made  clear  that  he  regarded  himself  in  God's  hands, 
doing  God's  work,  but  on  what  specific  evidence  he  based  this 
profound  conclusion  no  human  being  knows  beyond  Bis- 
marck's own  assertion.  However,  that  power  urged  him  on. 
Naturally,  in  turn,  the  fire  kindled  by  faith  in  himself  at  last 
stimulated  faith  in  a  people,  numbering  some  twenty-five 
millions;  a  people  who  in  the  main  had  up  to  this  time  been 
political  atheists  to  Bismarck's  dogma  of  a  United  Germany. 
This  idea  of  faith  is  a  fact  of  such  vast  import  that  we  dare 
not  pass  it  lightly  by.  H  H  -H- 

H  By  an  almighty  wave  of  faith  in  themselves  the  German 
people  ceased  playing  the  political  craven;  came  out  boldly 
for  what  they  hold  to  be  their  too  long  deferred  birthright ! 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  175 

Here,  the  mental  attitude  of  the  German  people  passes  be- 
yond the  dogmas  of  politics  or  social  intercourse  whatso- 
ever; it  merges  into  a  mysterious  world  of  reality,  close  and 
near  yet  baffling  to  describe;  expressing  itself  in  an  invinci- 
ble National  faith,  now  about  to  burst  forth,  at  last,  and 
sweep  all  before  it! 

If  This  mental  phenomenon  exists  in  various  forms,  but  the 
animating  impulse  is  ever  the  same. 

The  hymn-singing  of  Charles  and  John  Wesley,  whose  ap- 
peals to  religious  emotionalism  filled  the  fields  of  England 
with  tens  of  thousands  of  weeping,  shouting  men  and  women, 
vastly  excited  as  to  the  state  of  their  souls,  is  a  type  of  faith 
beginning  in  a  small  way  and  attaining  National  proportions. 
No  historian  could  write  adequately  the  history  of  England 
without  crediting  great  changes  to  the  work  of  the  Wesley 
psalm-singers;  women  tearing  off  their  jewels;  men  rising  in 
the  multitude  and  calling  on  God  to  witness  that  henceforth 
their  lives  would  be  pure  and  unsullied  by  sin;  while  under 
the  excitement  murderers  came  forward  and  confessed  crimes 
known  only  to  themselves. 

fl  Oh,  this  German  National  faith  that  Frederick  the  Great 
so  gloriously  began;  that  Louise  fostered  and  sustained;  that 
the  poet  Arndt  set  to  hymns;  that  the  great  von  Humboldt 
in  his  own  peculiar  way  saw  from  afar;  that  the  German 
students  apostrophied ;  that  William  III  figured  to  himself 
in  his  church-building;  that  von  Stein  discerned  vaguely; 
that  William  I  emphasized  in  his  cold-blooded,  clear-eyed 
manner  of  the  soldier;  that  von  Sybel  fought  for;  that 
scores,  nay,  hundreds  and  thousands  of  noble  men  and 
women,  utterly  apart  from  political  chicanery,  did  indeed 
long  for  with  all  the  fervor  of  their  earnest  God-fearing  Ger- 
man nature;  Bismarck  stands  in  the  centre,  here  and  now! 
11  It  is  true  that  he  is  not  as  yet  accepted,  but  he  is  biding 
his  time;  he  is  looked  on  with  suspicion,  but  he  fronts  the 
scorn  of  the  rabble,  in  the  end  to  beat  the  doubters  into  sub- 
mission, against  their  own  will. 

U  This  newly  awakened  German  National  faith  was  really  a 
very  old  German  faith  that  had  never  died,  although  for 


176  Blood    and   Iron 

years  forgotten;  the  longing  for  the  Fatherland  was  always 
there. 

fl  Through  love  of  home,  through  worship  of  ancestry  and 
through  respect  for  constituted  authority  in  church  and 
state,  that  is  by  "German  national  faith,"  Bismarck  touched 
the  chord  that  made  his  life-work  possible.  The  stimulus  of 
three  great  wars,  presented  by  Bismarck  as  sanctified  by 
God,  finally  did  the  business. 

U  He  knew  that  in  all  Germans  is  a  certain  generosity  of 
character  which  when  appealed  to  in  the  right  way  made 
them  eager  to  take  the  chance  of  death  on  the  battlefield. 
fl  Bismarck  played  the  positive  as  well  as  the  negative  side 
of  this  psychological  fact.  On  the  negative  side,  he  stirred 
men  with  the  idea  that  social  ostracism  rests  on  the  man  who 
in  times  of  National  danger  tries  to  avoid  the  draft. 
U  Bismarck's  work  thus  shows  him  to  be  the  great  construc- 
tive poet  of  his  time.  He  placed  war  before  his  fellow  man 
in  such  a  way  that  it  was  held  a  sweet  privilege  to  die  for 
one's  land,  which  interpreted  means  Bismarck's  idea  of  a  new 
territorial  arrangement  of  the  map  of  Europe. 
U  There  was  race  prejudice  behind  his  deeper  plans.  He 
made  much  of  the  fact  that  within  a  given  area  the  German 
language  was  spoken,  whereas  while  there  were  millions  of 
German-speaking  people  in  Austria  there  were  also  Slavs, 
Czechs,  Bohemians  and  mongrel  races. 

If  The  idea  of  brotherhood  based  on  blood  and  language 
finally  prevailed  over  the  idea  of  the  confraternity  of  races. 
Make  as  much  out  of  this  as  you  will,  but  the  basic  fact  is 
incontestible. 

II  Some  80,000  men  perished  to  sustain  Bismarck's  peculiar 
conception  of  United  Germany.  Through  the  turmoil  and 
misery  of  these  three  wars  he  had  his  way,  and  being  at  last 
successful,  he  suddenly  became  the  most  popular  man  in 
Europe,  idolized  by  the  millions  who  a  little  while  before  had 
reviled  his  name  as  the  enemy  of  the  Democrats. 

Tf  Such  is  human  nature.  _ 

•    •    • 

H  Perhaps,  after  all,  German  National  faith  is  only  another 
name  for  the  tremendous  earnestness  that  set  the  whole  land 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  177 

ablaze  with  singleness  of  purpose,  consecrated  to  a  high 
cause. 

Bismarck  in  a  very  real  sense  because  of  faith  in  himself  and 
in  his  ultimate  cause,  directed  this  National  faith  in  the 
Fatherland  and  won  thereby  a  magnificent  United  Germany. 
If  we  do  not  grasp  the  significance  of  this  unseen  but  gigan- 
tic National  German  faith,  as  expressed  in  the  increasing 
unity  of  will  of  the  whole  people,  harked  on  by  Prussia,  we 
might  as  well  close  the  book  on  Bismarck — and  know  him 
not. 

HUB] 

If  To  comprehend,  somewhat,  the  firm  roots  of  racial  strength, 
as  expressed  by  German  National  faith,  let  us  for  the  mo- 
ment pass  from  the  1840's,  '50's  and  '60's,  which  we  are  now 
endeavoring  to  present  with  their  psychological  message  of 
faith,  and  turn  our  eyes  to  the  year  1914,  when  Germany 
and  Austria,  no  longer  enemies,  now  battle  side  by  side, 
against  armed  forces  of  the  world — British,  Russian,  Ital- 
ian, Servian,  French,  Australian,  East  Indian,  African, 
Belgian,  Canadian,  and  Japanese! 

The  sustaining  spirit  in  this  life-and-death  struggle,  as  in 
the  wars  that  made  Germany  an  empire,  is  bulwarked  on 
German  National  faith. 

If  For  Germans  are  no  longer  soft-hearted  heroes  of  lyrical 
poetry,  as  depicted  by  Arndt!  They  are  men  of  blood  and 
iron. 

If  Bismarck's  mother  threw  her  wedding  ring  into  the  public 
melting  pot  for  the  benefit  of  the  War  Fund  of  1813  and  re- 
ceived in  exchange  a  ring  of  iron;  and  thousands  of  German 
women  did  the  same;  and  Bismarck's  wife  exchanged  her 
gold  ring  for  one  of  iron,  for  the  War  Fund  of  '66.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  German  women  did  likewise,  not  only  in  Ger- 
many, but  in  foreign  lands,  wherever  hearts  beat  for  the 
Fatherland. 

They  did  it  in  1813,  and  in  1864,  and  in  1866,  and  in  1870;— 
and  again  in  1914! 

If  For  example,  in  the  great  war  of  1914,  Baroness  von  Ropp, 
granddaughter  of  Geo.  Ebers,  Germany's  most  foremost 
woman  novelist,  cries  out  for  her  country  in  the  accents  of 


178  Blood   and   Iron 

true  German  nationality,  the  self-same  spirit  which  Arndt 
stimulated  in  days  of  French  and  Austrian  domination.  And 
since  it  is  this  elusive  spirit  that  we  are  endeavoring  to 
bring  home  to  you,  in  grasping  the  higher  significance  of  Bis- 
marck's work,  and  its  true  inner  meaning,  we  quote  freely 
from  a  private  letter  penned  by  the  Baroness,  from  Magde- 
burg, August,  1914. 

Use  Hahn-Ropp  did  not  write  for  publication,  and  therefore 
her  words  have  the  more  weight. 

H"On  the  first  day  of  mobilization  I  traveled  to  Magdeburg 
to  say  farewell  to  my  husband,  who  was  leaving  for  France. 

I  had  three  hours;  then  I  had  to  take  the  last  train  out  of 
town.     From  that  time  only  military  trains  were  running. 
Shall  I  ever  forget  that  ride?     It  was  as  though  we  were 
living  in  another  world.     People  were  standing  in  the  cars 
closely  packed  together;  but  not  a  word  of  complaint.    Each 
one  felt  he  was  no  longer  an  individual — but  a  German! 
Rich   and   poor,   nobles   and    peasants,    talked    together    as 
brothers.     Each  had  the  deep  conviction  that  this  war  had 
been  forced  upon  us,  and  that  every  one  must  throw  his 
whole  strength  into  the  scales,  for  victory. 

K  "Ceaselessly,  military  trains  roll  by,  crowded  with  sol- 
diers in  gala  uniforms,  burning  to  reach  the  enemy.  I  hear 
them  all  night  long  from  my  parents'  home — those  wheels 
rolling,  rolling  westward;  no  hurry,  no  confusion;  the  mighty 
machine  moves  majestically  on  its  way.  Show  us  another 
nation  which  could  duplicate  that  spectacle! 

II  "And  then,  from  a  thousand  throats,  rose  'Die  Wacht  am 
Rhein.'    It  was  overpowering — irresistible.    This  mighty  an- 
them, from  the  lips  of  soldiers  going  out  to  battle! 

II  "It  was  thus  that  both  my  brothers  left  us.  I  shall  never, 
never  forget.  Every  one  gives  his  all  gladly.  I  could  not 
keep  my  husband  with  me,  although  exempt  through  his  pro- 
fession from  military  duty.  He  went  as  a  volunteer,  and  I 
would  not  have  held  him  if  I  could,  though  you  can  guess  the 
cost  of  that  parting! 

TI  "One  hears  not  a  single  complaint  from  the  women  of  the 
Fatherland.  We  are  all  too  thoroughly  roused  over  the  in- 
sults offered  our  loved  country.  Working  each  waiting  mo- 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  179 

ment  for  our  wounded — for  our  soldiers — we  have  no  time 
for  tears. 

Tl  "We  will  not  give  in  until  all  are  defeated,  even  though  we 
women  should  have  to  take  up  the  sword  to  defend  the 
Fatherland.  Were  it  not  for  my  baby  daughter  I  should  be 
with  my  husband,  as  a  nurse. 

1|  "You  cannot  picture  how  great,  how  noble,  how  grave  this 
time  is.  Human  nature  is  transfigured.  Individual  fate  is 
lost,  in  the  fate  of  the  Nation. 

1J  "I  am  at  home  with  my  parents.  Scarcely  a  year  has  passed 
since  my  happy,  peaceful  wedding  day.  And  now  my  home 
is  bare  and  desolate,  and  I  am  again  the  daughter  of  my 
father — I  can  write  no  more.  My  feelings  are  stifling  me. 
The  bells  are  ringing  a  new  victory.  Unfurl  the  black-white- 
red  banner.  Always  lovingly  yours,  ILSE." 
A  postscript  reads: 

"Oct.  6. — For  six  weeks  I  have  been  trying  to  send  this  letter 
— in  vain.  In  the  meantime  both  my  brothers  have  died 
fighting  for  the  Fatherland.  My  husband  still  lives,  but — 
we  must,  we  shall  and  must  win!" 

•    •    • 

48 

Bismarck  balances  between  tempestuous  outbursts 
and  inscrutable  silence;  biding  his  time  in  the  great 
game  of  German  Unity. 

If  In  the  gigantic  project  of  creating  an  Empire  for  a  king 
who  solemnly  protested  that  he  was  directly  accountable  to 
God  for  the  throne,  "and  would  never  consent  to  have  so 
much  as  a  sheet  of  paper  (constitution)  between  my  people 
and  my  Maker,"  Bismarck  was  under  tremendous  nervous 
pressure  for  years;  and  he  meant  that  his  political  secrets 
for  United  Germany  should  not  become  too  early  known. 
Not  only  were  the  people  as  yet  unwilling  to  help,  but  Aus- 
tria was  watching  with  jealous  eyes  the  possibility  of  plun- 
der for  herself ;— for  where  the  carrion  is  there  will  the  vul- 
tures wheel. 

U  Bismarck's  ambition  bit  him  by  day  and  by  night,  and  there 
was  for  him  no  rest;  he  required  a  continent  to  turn  'round 


180  Blood   and   Iron 

in,  and  nothing  less  would  suffice.  It  was  now  only  a  ques- 
tion of  waiting  for  the  psychological  moment  to  electrify  the 
inert  mass  of  the  people  to  rally  to  his  cause. 
If  Naturally  you  ask,  "Was  this  Bismarck  then  a  beast?" 
Not  at  all.  He  was  merely  a  human  being  who  wanted  a 
continent  to  turn  around  in. 

In  the  gigantic  project,  Bismarck  was  exercising  his  own 
peculiar  gifts  in  his  own  way — for  none  stood  ready  to  give 
him  what  he  wanted,  without  fighting  for  it — even  as  you 
or  I  lay  out  lesser  plans  to  beg,  or  coax,  or  force  the  world 
to  give  us  not  what  we  think  we  need  but  what  we  are 
strong  enough  to  obtain. 

1f  In  this  attitude,  Bismarck  needs  neither  apology  nor  de- 
fense— for,  after  all,  he  is  Bismarck. 

Through  thirty-odd  years  of  din  and  roar  and  battle  largely 
of  his  own  making  Bismarck  knew  neither  rest  nor  peace; 
returning  again  and  again  to  the  attack  and  wearing  down 
his  enemies  by  the  sheer  brute  force  of  courage.  His  idea 
was  United  Germany,  through  Prussian  military  power;  at 
the  same  time,  Prussia  must  hold  her  dynastic  over-lordship, 
and  must  yield  it  finally  only  in  a  territorial  German  Empire. 


U  Unquestionably  there  was,  incidentally,  a  large  element  of 
injustice  in  his  plans  and  purposes,  but  what  of  it  ?  Is  there 
not  such  in  your  own  life,  and  do  you  know  any  man  whose 
career  is  not  based  on  injustice  either  in  some  coarse,  ob- 
vious or  in  some  subtle  way? 

The  world  belongs  only  to  those  who  do  battle,  and  there 
is  absolutely  no  chance  for  the  man  who  will  not  fight! 
All  government  is  based  on  some  form  of  injustice,  all  land 
tenure  is  stained  with  the  sword,  all  "putting  up"  of  one 
family,  or  individual,  is  based  on  "taking"  something  from 
some  other  family  or  individual. 

Nor  am  I  excepting  the  conquests  of  love  itself,  from  time 
immemorial  presented  as  a  token  of  man's  romantic,  softer 
side.  For,  if  the  hero  does  not  "save"  the  heroine  from  the 
villain,  to  take  her  for  himself,  then  for  whom  does  he  save 
her? 


Blood    Is    Thicker    Than    Water  181 

IJThe  Bismarck  struggle  and  the  Bismarck  triumph  are  as 
old  as  history — and  as  new  as  the  career  of  the  man  of  to- 
day who  has  achieved  his  heart's  desire. 
The  empire-maker  Bismarck  had  his  way  because  he  was 
strong  enough  to  have  his  way,  and  while  cruelties  in  various 
forms,  for  the  ends  of  statecraft,  coexisted  in  him  with  many 
fine  qualities,  after  all  that  simply  means  that  he  was  a 
human  being  with  impulses  of  various  kinds — good  and  less 
good — in  one  heart.  It  is  also  an  undeniable  fact  that  as 
late  as  1862  Bismarck  was  by  the  common  crowd  in  Prussia 
hated  and  feared,  regarded  as  Germany's  ogre  of  disaster. 

B    B    B 

U  Here  then  is  the  whole  thing  in  a  nutshell :  His  strong  con- 
servative, not  to  say  reactionary,  sentiments  did  not  blind 
him  to  the  fact  that  he  could  do  nothing  without  the  "peo- 
ple," whom  politically  he  ignored  in  so  far  as  their  fitness 
for  constructive  government  was  concerned;  but  it  was  the 
"people,"  and  the  "people"  only,  who  could  bring  United 
Germany. 

He  realized  the  present  impracticability  of  such  a  Union  as 
he  had  in  mind  for  his  master,  the  King  of  Prussia;  that 
to  urge  it  too  soon  would  simply  bring  a  new  revolution,  and 
God  knows  there  had  been  enough  blood-letting  for  the  sake 
of  power  in  and  around  Prussia  for  lo!  these  one  hundred 
years  gone  by. 

•    •    • 

If  The  only  thing  for  him  to  do,  then,  was  to  keep  his  ambi- 
tion to  himself  and  his  own  crowd,  and  to  bide  his  time  to 
strike — for  time  makes  all  things  right  for  him  who  can 
wait. 

And  at  waiting  and  at  concealing  Bismarck  was  past  master. 
While  usually  figured  as  a  blunt,  bold,  tyrannical  man,  there 
was  also  a  side  of  inscrutable  reticence. 
II  Thus  finally  between  outbursts  of  temper  in  which  he  at- 
tacked his  enemies  with  the  power  of  a  battleship  in  action, 
followed  by  periods  of  silence  after  the  storm,  Bismarck  re- 
mained master  of  the  diplomatic  situation,  playing  his  wait- 
ing game. 


1  82  Blood    and    Iron 


did  his  stern  face  never  break  into  an  ironical  smile? 
Did  he  never  betray  himself? 

It  was  impossible  to  preserve  his  great  political  secret  from 
the  intuitions  of  other  and  lesser  minds. 

•    •    • 

Tf  You  see,  men  have  various  ways  of  getting  their  will. 
Some  fight,  others  play,  still  others  threaten  suicide  if  the 
money  is  not  forthcoming.  It  is  all  a  matter  of  temperament 
and  peculiar  style  of  doing  battle. 

With  some,  a  curse  will  bring  what  a  kiss  will  not;  with 
others  a  club  is  more  useful  than  a  loving  woid.  With  Bis- 
marck, the  first  instinct  was  to  do  battle  by  fire  and  sword, 
and  this  explains  why  his  career  is  filled  with  broken  wine 
bottles,  fist  cuffs,  sword  thrusts,  and  his  "sic  'em!"  to  the  big 
dogs  that  trailed  around  with  him. 

fl  Once,  during  the  crisis  of  which  we  now  write,  on  ,?oing  in- 
to a  saloon  for  a  glass  of  beer,  some  table  talk  on  politics 
offended  him.  He  ordered  the  man  to  stop,  then  <*nd  there, 
"or  I  will  smash  a  beer  glass  over  your  head!" 
The  man  went  on  talking;  Bismarck  drank,  turned  around 
and  said,  "That  for  you!"  smashed  the  tankard  on  the  offend- 
ing head,  and  coolly  walked  out! 


BOOK  THE   FIFTH 
The  German  People  Are  One  and  United 

CHAPTER  XIV 

of 


49 

He  is  no  longer  the  roaring  delegate  of  the  "White 
Saloon,"  but  has  developed  the  astuteness  of  the 
devil,  the  open  sincerity  of  a  saint. 

U  Fight,  fight,  fight!  Nothing  but  fight!  And  all  this  trying 
time,  Bismarck  suffered  excruciating  pains  from  his  old 
rheumatic  complaint. 

He  was  irritable,  melancholy  and  jaundiced;  sat  up  all  night 
half  -buried  in  his  mounds  of  state  papers;  dictating  tele- 
grams, quarreling  with  callers,  denouncing,  adjusting,  schem- 
ing; four  o'clock  found  him  in  bed;  he  tossed  about  till  seven, 
when  he  managed  to  get  to  sleep;  and  was  not  seen  again 
till  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  situation  was  getting  on  the 
master's  nerves. 

jf  Enemies  in  the  house  of  his  friends  spied  on  Bismarck, 
endeavored  to  poison  the  King  against  the  doughty  Minister. 
The  Crown  Prince,  especially,  who  always  had  an  aversion 
to  Bismarck,  despite  the  war-dog's  inestimable  services 
to  the  House  of  Hohenzollern,  now  tried  to  pull  the 
Pomeranian  giant  down. 

To  this  end,  the  Prince  dissassociated  himself  from  Bis- 
marck's policy,  avoided  the  great  man  at  court.  The  situa- 
tion passed  rapidly  from  political  to  social  objections  on 
part  of  the  Prince,  who  spread  before  the  King  the  ruin  of 
Hohenzollern  if  Bismarckian  policies  were  longer  pursued. 
U  But  the  King  would  not  give  Bismarck  up.  In  this  regard, 
William  was  as  cold  as  ice.  He  saw  that  should  Bismarck 
be  asked  to  go,  at  that  time,  the  Liberals  would  be  irresist- 

(183) 


184  Blood    and    Iron 

ibly  strengthened.  The  recoil  of  the  mighty  wave  against 
kingcraft  might  even  end  by  forcing  abdication  for  the  Prus- 
sian monarch. 

If  Instead  of  fearing  the  Liberal  leaders,  Bismarck  despised 
their  plots.  The  master  knew  enough  of  human  nature  to 
see  clearly  one  great  central  fact.  The  fire-breathing  Demo- 
crats would,  at  the  hour  of  Prussia's  peril,  join  with  the 
hated  system  of  Bismarck  and  march  to  glory.  In  defense 
of  Prussia,  Liberals,  Socialists  and  political  nonconformists 
of  every  description,  would  be  carried  off  their  feet.  Then, 
Bismarck  would  be  able  to  call  on  his  very  enemies  to  come 
forward  and  help  him  win  the  day. 

If  And  the  old  man,  as  usual,  was  absolutely  correct.  In  the 
hour  of  danger  how  the  Prussian  Liberals  fought!  Like 
fiends  they  stood,  took  the  murderous  fire  and  went  to  their 
death  singing,  "I  am  a  Prussian,  will  a  Prussian  be!" 

H    H     H 

If  The  opportunity  to  test  German  National  faith  first  came 
through  the  Holstein  war,  precipitated  by  Bismarck's  clever 
manipulation  of  events. 

If  As  well  ask  from  what  quarters  of  the  globe  the  hurricane 
came  which  last  night  tore  up  the  old  oak  tree.  You  can 
read  a  dozen  fat  volumes  on  the  Holstein  problem,  and  still 
you  will  not  be  convinced.  Schleswig-Holsteiners  in  their 
rock-grit  lands  on  the  North  Sea  had  their  political  troubles 
about  the  right  of  succession,  and  that  sort  of  thing;  the 
spit  of  land  up  there  was  aflame  with  war  talk. 
T|  The  Germans,  as  a  people,  wished  Schleswig  attached  as  a 
principality  of  the  German  Confederation,  but  Bismarck's 
secret  plan  was  to  seize  the  territory  for  the  gain  of  Prus- 
sia, a  clean  political  theft  of  a  huge  estate.  By  pushing  the 
Danes  out  of  the  Frankfort  Diet — that  antiquated  political 
stuffed-club  of  Austria — the  Emperor  of  the  South  would 
also  be  forced  out  of  German  affairs.  In  a  few  words,  that 
was  the  play. 

1i  Opposition  ?  Why,  Bismarck  lived  by  opposition,  grew  fat 
on  opposition.  He  is  no  longer  the  old  roaring  delegate  of 
the  "White  Saloon,"  in  his  blossom  time.  He  has  developed 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United       185 

the  astuteness  of  the  devil,  the  open  sincerity  of  a  saint.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  he  now  invited  Austria  "to  co-operate,"  in 
settling  the  complex  Danish  question;  and  the  unsuspecting 
Emperor  of  the  South,  who  was  also  playing  a  deep  game  of 
his  own,  decided  to  take  a  hand. 

11  Throughout  his  long  career,  Bismarck  was  everlastingly 
trading  in  political  advantages.  Often  there  was  a  large 
element  of  imagination  in  his  promises  to  pay,  but  he  gained 
his  point  in  the  Holstein  problem.  He  had  to  face:  Dissen- 
sion between  the  Prussian  Chamber  and  the  Government;  the 
feeling  in  rival  German  states;  the  general  distrust  of  Prus- 
sia and  the  hostility  of  Austria;  finally,  the  jealousy  of  other 
powers. 

fl  Volumes  have  been  written,  learned  decisions  handed  down 
on  the  complex  rights  of  the  warring  houses  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein.  There  were  mountains  of  precedents  on  this  side 
or  that,  as  you  pleased.  Bismarck's  plan  was  to  annex  the 
domain  to  Prussia  and  seize  the  harbor  of  Keil,  with  all  the 
accrued  advantages  to  the  Prussian  monarch;  and  while  the 
talk  went  on  Bismarck  maneuvered  to  enlist  his  old  enemy, 
Austria,  to  make  common  cause  in  a  clear  way  of  plunder, 
if  ever  there  was  one.  Then,  they  swept  the  country  with 
fire  and  sword,  took  it  by  the  "divine  right"  of  the  strong- 
est; and  it  fell  out  that  Bismarck  stacked  the  cards  against 
Austria,  as  a  gambler  stacks  them  against  the  man  on  the 
other  side  of  the  table  who  is  supposed  to  be  his  friend,  in 
a  gentleman's  game.  Bismarck  at  a  stroke  thus  won  away 
Austria's  share. 

U  After  the  conquest  of  the  Holstein  duchies,  King  William 
became  more  ambitious;  henceforth  the  object  of  his  life 
was  the  aggrandizement  of  Prussia,  in  Germany.  Bismarck 
had  given  the  King  the  taste  of  blood.  The  Iron  Chancellor 
admits  the  fact.  Here  are  Bismarck's  exact  words,  from  his 
interviews  with  Dr.  Busch:  "The  King's  frame  of  mind  un- 
derwent a  psychological  change;  he  developed  a  taste  for 
conquest." 

U  Bismarck  laid  the  foundation  in  this  way:  He  reminded 
the  reluctant  William  of  the  glories  of  Hohenzollern;  how 


1 86  Blood    and    Iron 

each  Hohenzollern  had  added  to  the  common  family  fortunes, 
ever-widening  estates  and  power.  He  told  William  how  King 
FT:  Wm.  IV  had  acquired  Hohenzollern  and  the  Jande  Dis- 
trict; Fr:  Wm.  Ill,  the  Rhine  Province;  Fr:  Wm.  II,  Poland; 
Fr:  II,  Silesia;  Fr:  Wm.  I,  Old  Hinter  Pomerania;  the  Great 
Elector,  Further  Pomerania,  etc.;  "and  I  encouraged  the  King 
to  do  likewise." 

fils  it  too  much  to  say  that  in  this  great  National  crisis, 
Bismarck  was  more  than  servant  of  the  King?  In  many 
respects  Bismarck  was  the  King's  master.  "If  you  only 
knew  how  I  had  to  struggle  to  make  the  King  go  to  war 
with  Austria!"  is  a  significant  comment  Bismarck  once  made 
in  a  moment  of  confidence. 

It  is  a  question  whether  he  loved  the  King  more,  or  himself 
less. 

HUB 

U  "My  party  consisted  solely  of  the  King  and  myself,"  wrote 
Bismarck  many  years  later,  "and  my  only  aim  was  the  res- 
toration and  aggrandizement  of  the  German  Empire  and 
the  defense  of  monarchial  authority." 

11  He  always  had  a  contempt  for  parliaments  and  for  parties. 
This  fact  is  so  clear  that  we  pass  it  without  further  com- 
ment. In  short,  Bismarck  measures  up  to  these  lines  in 
Tennyson : 

"Ah,  God!  for  a  man  with  heart,  head,  hand 
Like  some  of  the  simple  great  ones  gone 
Forever  and  ever  by; 
One  still  strong  man  in  a  blatant  land, 
Whatever  they  call  him,  what  care  I, 
Aristocrat,  democrat,  autocrat — " 

U  However,  in  this  world  all  things  are  relative;  the  finest 
coat  has  its  reverse  side,  where  the  ugly  seams  show;  and 
Bismarck  is  no  exception.  He  has  all  the  strong  man's 
virtues,  and  vices.  Make  the  most  of  it. 
It  is  a  solemn  fact  that,  in  his  unfailing  loyalty  to  his 
country,  Bismarck  showed  little  consideration  for  men  who 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United       187 

chanced  to  oppose  his  own  principles — but  what  would  you, 
pray? 

Man  at  best  is  a  curious  animal;  he  indulges  in  great  wars 
and  he  is  capable  of  great  mercies;  he  is  all  things  by  turn 
and  nothing  long;  on  the  same  day  he  loves  and  he  hates, 
he  commits  crimes  and  he  goes  to  church;  he  has  his  way 
and  having  it,  is  still  dissatisfied. 
If  And  Bismarck  was  no  exception. 


If  He  always  expected  absolute  obedience.  "My  ambassa- 
dors," he  once  said  to  one  of  them,  "must  wheel  round  like 
non-commissioned  officers,  at  a  word  of  command,  without 
knowing  why." 

IS     B     B 

If  "There  are  indeed,"  says  Sir  Spencer  Walpole,  "few  things 
more  remarkable  in  modern  history  than  Bismarck's  deter- 
mined disregard,  from  1863  to  1866  of  the  decisions  of  Par- 
liament and  his  readiness  to  stake  his  own  life  and  that  of 
his  sovereign  on  the  issue  of  the  contest." 

si   s   s 

If  This  Holstein  raid  was  justified  as  "statecraft,"  but  the 
gambler's  nerve  and  the  gambler's  methods  were  behind  it, 
from  end  to  end;  and  Bismarck  shuffled  and  cut  and  stacked, 
and  if  now  and  then  some  shrewd  player  caught  the  sleight 
of  hand  and  protested,  Bismarck  coolly  banged  him  over  the 
head  with  a  chair  or  flung  a  wine  bottle  at  his  head  and 
threw  him  into  the  street  to  make  off  as  best  he  might, 
smarting  for  revenge  but  not  daring  to  raise  a  hand;  for  in 
his  heart  the  defeated  player  realized  that  in  a  game  of  this 
kind  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  take  one's  medicine,  "put  up, 
pay  up  and  shut  up" — like  the  lesser  known  but  equally  dis- 
cerning gamblers  of  old  Mississippi  steamboat  days. 
1f  What  were  they  fighting  about  in  Holstein  ?  Alas,  who 
knows,  except  that  Bismarck  had  his  great  German  enter- 
prise well  under  way.  It  was  said,  at  the  time,  that  Disraeli 
was  "the  only  man  in  Europe  who  really  understood  the 
Holstein  question,"  but  Disraeli  was  a  British  cynic  on  all 


188  Blood    and    Iron 

things  German,  and  his  explanations  must  be  taken  with  a 
grain  of  salt.  However,  Disraeli  used  Bismarck  as  "Count 
Ferroll"  in  "Endymion." 

B    H     S 

50 

Bismarck  sleeps  surrounded  by  windrows  of  the 
dead;  it  was  the  moment  he  had  awaited,  all  these 
years. 

U  One  fact  should  never  be  overlooked.  Whether  Bismarck 
talks  to  his  countrymen  of  patriotism  or  of  religious  duties, 
through  it  all  and  behind  it  all,  while  framing  constitutions 
and  putting  the  ballot  in  every  man's  hand,  Bismarck  always 
had  something  to  draw  to — and  this  something  was  the  in- 
vincible Prussian  army. 

This  Prussian  army,  together  with  Prussian  dog-like  disci- 
pline, made  Bismarck's  plans  possible. 

If  Also,  he  everlastingly  kept  the  substance  of  power  for 
himself  and  his  King;  for,  however  much  Bismarck  from 
time  to  time  made  concessions  to  the  Liberal  side,  Bismarck 
always  nourished  sentiments  of  royalty,  in  the  end  deftly 
substituted  the  mailed  fist  for  his  talks  on  religious  faith. 
If  His  war-dramas  are  always  rich  in  strife ;  but  somehow, 
he  makes  them  conclude  in  joy. 

11    H     H 

If  Realizing  that  the  Austrian  war  could  not  much  longer  be 
put  off,  Bismarck's  great  care  was  that  there  should  be  no 
powerful  coalitions  against  Prussia. 

If  We  have  spoken  before  of  his  closeness  to  Russia,  and  the 
means  whereby  Bismarck  secured  the  Czar's  neutrality  in 
the  oncoming  Austrian  war.  The  King's  man  next  settled 
with  Italy,  behind  the  screen.  He  knew  that  she  longed  to 
come  into  possession  of  Venetian  powers,  held  by  Austria; 
Bismarck  got  after  the  Italian  minister,  Lamarmora;  the 
bargain  was  this:  A  secret  treaty  promising  Venetia  to  Italy; 
no  separate  peace  to  be  made  with  Austria;  the  treaty  not 
to  be  binding  unless  Prussia  declared  war  within  three 
months. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United       189 

flThen  Bismarck  crossed  over  and  proposed  to  Austria  that 
Frankfort  "reform"  the  Confederation.  The  lure  to  the 
Liberals  was  the  promise  of  a  National  Convention  elected 
by  the  people,  to  decide  on  a  new  Constitution;  the  solution 
carried  the  Holstein  question,  Bismarck  averred,  "not  as  a 
piece  of  monarchial  greed  but  as  a  National  affair." 
fl  Bavaria  agreed  provided  Austria  and  Prussia  would  not 
attack  each  other. 

II  At  this,  Bismarck  promised  to  give  to  Italy  the  Venetian 
provinces,  by  peaceful  arrangement — war  or  no  war.  But 
Italy  wavered;  she  was  afraid  of  Bismarck's  behind-the- 
screen  policies. 

Austria  decided  to  increase  her  Venetian  armaments,  and 
Bismarck,  quick  as  a  cat,  seized  on  this  move  of  his  old 
enemy  as  an  act  of  "insincerity"  in  regard  to  peace. 
U  Austria  now  replied  by  urging  that  the  Holstein  question 
be  left  to  the  Diet,  despite  the  fact  that  Prussia  had  ex- 
pressly denied  the  competency  of  Frankfort  to  settle  ques- 
tions affecting  Prussia. 

flFrom  this  point  events  moved  with  rapidity  toward  war. 
Troops  under  Manteufel  marched  into  Holstein,  alleging  the 
Gastein  treaty  broken;  Austrians  retired,  but  under  protest, 
alleging  that  Prussia  had  violated  Section  11  of  the  Acts 
of  Confederation,  which  provided  that  members  could  not 
make  war  against  each  other;  and  Austria  moved  that  the 
Confederation  be  mobilized,  except  Prussia.  Bismarck  there- 
upon played  his  trump  card.  "The  Confederation  is  dis- 
solved!" he  thundered,  and  submitted  a  new  draft  of  articles, 
leaving  Austria  out. 
If  Germany  was  now  in  two  hostile  camps;  on  came  the  war. 

BBS! 

ffThus  stood  matters  on  the  fateful  June  1st,  1866,  when 
the  critical  situation  in  the  Danish  country  offered  the  match 
to  touch  off  the  powder  magazines  against  Austria;  startled 
Austria  immediately  called  upon  her  beribboned,  bejeweled 
Frankfort  Parliament  to  declare  war  on  Prussia  for  inso- 
lence; and  this  is  exactly  what  Bismarck  wished  to  bring  to 
pass;  it  was  the  moment  he  had  awaited  all  these  long  years. 


190  Blood   and   Iron 

fl  Hanover  and  two  other  states  were  asked  by  telegraph  to 
declare  their  intentions.  The  replies  being  unsatisfactory, 
Bismarck,  with  supreme  daring  worthy  of  Frederick  the 
Great,  orders  von  Roon  and  Moltke's  iron  men  forward. 
They  poured  like  fiends  into  the  surprised  territories,  over- 
ran them  in  a  night,  compelling  the  flight  or  capture  of  three 
kings. 

fl"With  God  for  King  and  Fatherland!"  That  old  cry  is 
again  heard  throughout  the  Prussian  North  country.  Austria 
reckoned  stupidly;  she  had  thought  Bismarck's  internal  polit- 
ical dissensions  would  make  it  impossible  for  Prussia  to  rally 
her  iron  men  in  good  order;  but  Bismarck  knew  that  while 
Liberal  leaders  quarreled  like  dogs  and  cats  over  Prussian 
policies,  still  when  beloved  Prussia  was  in  danger,  all  differ- 
ences would  be  forgotten — and  Prussia  in  a  night  would  be- 
come an  armed  camp. 

H  Bismarck,  that  memorable  Thursday  night,  June  14th,  1866, 
spent  the  long  hours  pacing  up  and  down  under  the  oaks  in 
the  beautiful  garden  of  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs;  in 
deep  thought,  he  awaited  the  mobilization  order  from  the 
King. 

Von  Moltke,  old  Roon  and  Bismarck  hold  whispered  consulta- 
tions in  which  Bismarck  is  so  sure  of  himself  that  his  mind 
at  times  wanders  off  war  to  chatty  anecdotes.  "This  after- 
noon, in  the  antechamber  of  the  King,"  says  Bismarck,  "I 
was  so  weary  I  fell  asleep  on  the  sofa.  Is  not  this  garden 
fine?  Suppose  we  take  a  look  at  the  old  trees  in  the  park, 
behind  the  palace?" 

mm® 

^  Berlin  rang  with  the  patriotic  "I  am  a  Prussian,  know'st 
thou  not  my  colors?"  and  in  unnumbered  thousands  the  mul- 
titudes pressed  around  the  palace.  On  the  night  of  the  29th 
came  the  news  by  telegraph — "First  blood  for  Prussia!" 
Berlin  goes  fairly  insane  with  patriotic  joy. 
Bismarck  leaves  the  palace  at  two  in  the  morning;  his  stern 
expression  contrasts  strangely  with  the  frenzied  faces  in 
the  crowd;  never  did  the  great  man's  inherent  poise  show 
more  clearly,  by  contrast.  The  crowds  are  singing  Luther's 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      191 

hymn,  "Ein  feste  Burg  1st  unser  Gott" — "A  fortress  firm  in 
our  God."  The  King  comes  out  on  the  balcony  and  returns 
thanks.  Never-ending  cries  of  triumph  force  Bismarck  to 
say  a  few  words  from  the  window  of  his  hotel  in  the  Wil- 
helms-strasse.  It  is  a  squally,  rain-bespattered  night,  with 
the  tempest  near  at  hand,  but  the  mobs  will  not  go  home. 
Suddenly,  Bismarck  raises  his  hand,  shouts  congratulations, 
ends  by  inviting  a  salute  for  the  King  and  Prussia. 
That  very  instant  a  peal  of  thunder  rumbles  over  the  city, 
and  a  trail  of  forked  lightning  splits  the  midnight  skies. 
"The  very  heavens  salute  Prussia!"  cries  Bismarck — and  the 
mobs  go  wild  again. 

•  •VI 

II  Bismarck  and  his  King  are  off  to  the  front.     At  Sichrow 

they  see  the  corpse-strewn  field  of  glory;  5,000  bodies  in  all 

the  agonizing  attitudes   of  sudden   death   are  there  before 

the  master. 

William  and  Otto  pass  to  the  field  hospital.     The  wounded 

beg  for  cigars,  and  Bismarck  writes  his  wife,  "Send  cigars 

by  the  thousand,  by  each  courier;  also  forward  copies  of  the 

'Kreutzzeitung.'  "  This  is  the  official   Bismarckian  political 

organ.    So  you  see,  he  spreads  his  political  propaganda,  even 

in  the  face  of  death. 

U  Otto  winds  up  his  letter  with  this  surprising  request,  under 

date,  July  2,  Jitschen,  "Send  me  a  French  novel  to  read,  but 

only  one  at  a  time." 

flThen  came  Sadowa,  July  3d.     The  "Red"  Prince  Charles 

assigns  his  troops  to  battle  line  at  dawn,  amidst  fog  and 

rain.     At  9,  the  King  and  Bismarck  appear  on  the  bloody 

field.     Bismarck  rides  his  tall  roan  mare  "Verada,"  rechris- 

tened  "Sadowa." 

In  thunder  and  smoke  the  battle  goes  burning  on.    For  hours 

the  result  is  in  doubt.    All  depends  on  the  second  battle  line, 

but  where  is  the  Crown  Prince  ?    Will  he  arrive  in  time  ? 

fl  The  vast  artillery  duel  began  early  and  lasted  many  hours. 

At  the  height  of  the  battle,  old  King  William  asked  for  a 

cigar,  and  when  the  box  was  brought  took  a  long  time  to 

select  one,  to  his  fancy.     Bismarck  regarded  it  as  a  good 


192  Blood    and    Iron 

sign!    "If  he  can  bother  about  the  best  cigar,  the  battle  can- 
not be  lost,"  was  Bismarck's  mental  comment. 
fl  At  last,  the  Austrians  began  giving  way. 
U  In  joy,  the  King  took  from  his  neck  his  own  Iron  Cross  and 
hung  it  on  Bismarck's  neck. 

flMoltke  came  up,  bright  and  happy,  with  these  words: 
"Your  Majesty  has  not  only  won  the  battle,  but  the  whole 
campaign." 

Hit  was  true;  the  great  Austrian  war  was  practically  now 
won,  and  in  three  short  weeks ! 

fi  Sadowa,  or  Koeniggraetz  as  the  Germans  call  it,  is  one  of 
the  great  battles  of  history.  There  were  445,000  men  en- 
gaged; Austria  lost  30,000  and  1,147  officers. 
H  Bismarck,  on  his  tall  roan,  was  eighteen  hours  in  the  sad- 
dle; neither  man  nor  faithful  beast  had  food  or  drink,  except 
that  the  horse,  standing  now  and  again  among  the  windrows 
of  corpses,  ate  corn-tops  and  nibbled  at  leaves.  That  night, 
Bismarck  slept  by  the  roadside,  without  straw,  a  carriage 
cushion  under  his  head.  The  rain  beat  down  in  a  drizzle, 
and  for  miles  the  smoke  hung  like  a  pall.  Bismarck's  rheu- 
matic pains,  his  weakness  from  loss  of  food,  wore  him  down. 
flAt  last,  the  course  of  nature  can  no  farther  go;  and  the 
master  falls  into  a  deep  sleep — surrounded  by  windrows  of 
the  dead. 

U  At  dawn,  as  he  stood  up,  half -dead  from  exhaustion,  against 
the  lowering  skies  he  saw  the  vultures  ready  to  pick  the 
bones  that  Glory  had  provided  in  this  phase  of  the  terrifying 
story  of  German  Unity. 

H  The  hour  of  victory  again  proved  Bismarck's  astuteness. 
The  fire-breathers  around  the  King  urged  that  the  Prussians 
march  on  Vienna  and  lay  the  city  in  waste;  Austria  could 
not  prevent;  she  was  prostrate;  but  Bismarck  said  no;  and 
as  usual,  he  had  an  object.  Part  of  his  far-seeing  plan  was 
to  take  advantage  of  this  psychological  moment  to  conclude 
secret  treaties  with  the  smaller  states,  as  allies  of  Prussia, 
in  case  of  future  wars.  It  was  the  forerunner  of  his  last 
great  work,  many  years  later,  the  Triple  Alliance. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United       193 


51 

Alas,  poor  human  nature!  The  rejected  stone  now 
becomes  the  foundation  of  the  palace  wall!  Otto 
von  Bismarck  is  justified  at  last. 

If  It  goes  to  show  that  the  right  man  can  bring  about  any 
idea,  whether  to  do  it  makes  it  necessary  to  turn  Time's 
clock  backward  or  forward. 

Bismarck  is  magnificent  because  his  extraordinary  political 
work  inspired  and  carried  a  new  National  faith  that  forced 
men  to  bow,  often  against  their  will,  to  the  logic  of  his  own 
gigantic  mind. 

Bismarck  is  magnificent  because,  too,  when  the  tiger  strife 
was  ended,  he  who  had  been  despised  as  the  arch  tyrant  of 
his  time,  was  now  seen  to  be  the  one  strong  man  of  his  land, 
who  had  brought  an  unwilling  people  peace,  happiness  and 
prosperity. 

If  After  the  Austrian  war  the  deputies  whom  Bismarck  had 
fought  granted  immunity  to  Bismarck  for  those  four  turbu- 
lent years  of  unconstitutional  rule;  the  overjoyed  people 
readily  forgave  him  for  exacting  12,000,000  thalers  for  the 
secret  war  chest. 

H    H     H 

fl  The  millions  who  had  looked  on  him  as  a  madman  now 
hailed  him  as  little  under  the  stature  of  a  demigod,  loaded 
him  with  estates,  gold,  diamonds,  medals,  stocked  his  cellars 
with  the  choicest  vintages,  sent  him  train-loads  of  presents, 
thousands  of  felicitations  on  parchments  done  up  with  blue 
ribbons,  threw  up  their  hats  in  frenzy  only  to  see  his  rattling 
old  coach  pass  along  the  streets  of  Berlin;  and  in  the  Na- 
tional excitement  to  do  something  or  say  something  that 
nobody  had  ever  thought  of,  became  as  children  to  the  extent 
of  offering  presents  to  Bismarck's  dogs. 

Also,   in  the   grand  distribution   of  Austrian   prize   money, 
Bismarck  was  awarded  $300,000.     With  this  unexpected  good 
fortune  he  bought  Varzin  estate  in  Pomerania. 
If  Of  late  years,  his  unpopularity  has  been  made  clear  in  a 
thousand  ways,  some  harmless,  others  bloodthirsty;  his  very 


194 


Blood    and    Iron 


life  was  demanded  more  than  once,  by  assassins.     But  now 

all  had  changed. 

If  It  is  related  that  a  German  professor,  in  Greece,  caught 

out  after  dark  was  beset  by  bandits. 

ffWho  are  you?"  they  inquired  menacingly. 

H  "I  am  a  German." 

fl"Who  is  your  king?" 

fl  "The  King  of  Prussia!" 

fl"Ah!    Then  you  are  Bismarck!" 

If  And  the  robbers  pulled  off  their  hats  and  ran  headlong  in 

the  night. 

HUH 

flln  America,  shops  sold  Bismarck  pipes,  Bismarck  cravats, 
Bismarck  hairbrushes,  and  one  came  across  such  advertise- 
ments as  this:  "What  is  the  difference  between  Jones'  paste 
and  Prince  Bismarck?  Answer,  there  is  no  difference,  be- 
cause each  sticks  so  fast  that  once  either  gets  a  hold  it  is 
impossible  to  get  away  from  it." 

fi  After  Koeniggraetz,  the  growing  sense  of  German  nation- 
ality impressed  itself  in  a  thousand  joyful  ways. 
In  Spain,  lucifer  matches  bore  on  the  boxes  this  doggerel: 

Als  Wilhelm  wirkt  und  Bismarck  span 
Gott  hatte  seine  Freude  dran. 

Or,  "As  William  worked  and  Bismarck  spun,  God  had  his  joy 
thereon." 

The  fashionable  world  dressed  in  Bismarck  brown;  ironclads 
bore  his  name;  in  Paraguay  the  "Citizen  Bismarck"  ran  up 
and  down  the  river;  Bismarck,  South  Dakota;  Bismarck  and 
von  Moltke  streets;  huge  Bismarck  strawberries — and  what 
more  you  please. 

U  The    Brandenburg   Cuirassiers   made   him   drink   out   of   a 
silver  tankard,   holding   a   level   quart   of   champagne;    Bis- 
marck, at  the  officers'  revel,  put  the  goblet  to  his  lips  and 
drained  the  draught  in  a  few  long  gulps. 
U  "Another!"  cried  the  National  hero. 

fi  "Alas,"  sighed  a  dyspeptic  Frenchman,  who  heard  of  it, 
"champagne  and  smoke  agree  with  him — happy  man!" 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United       195 

U  Whenever  the  Chancellor  was  out,  on  foot  or  on  horseback, 
the  news  ran  like  wildfire  through  Berlin!  Offices  were  emp- 
tied, clerks  stood  in  windows,  the  public  uncovered  and 
cheered. 

If  The  German  colony  of  Constantinople  sent  him  a  sword 
of  honor;  thousands  begged  his  photograph,  autograph,  or 
lock  of  his  hair;  brewer  George  Pschorr,  at  great  cost,  sent 
thirty-three  gallons  of  beer  in  a  carved  cask  weighing  500 
pounds,  with  solid  silver  tankards — veritable  gems  of  art. 
U  Carried  away  by  the  general  excitement,  an  inmate  of  the 
almshouse  put  his  name  down  for  $5,  on  a  public  list,  and 
when  confronted  with  his  utter  inability  to  pay,  replied: 
If  "When  the  time  comes  for  paying  I  shall  ask  them  to  let 
me  off  with  so  many  days  in  jail!  So  many  marks,  so  many 
days!" 

flA  little  town  in  the  Black  Forest  offered  a  huge  patriotic 
scroll  composed  of  bottles  of  raspberry  brandy,  with  hand- 
some labels,  bordered  with  the  German  colors,  red,  white  and 
black;  a  Bavarian  organ  builder  forwarded  a  huge  organ; 
the  inhabitants  of  Stanaitschen,  a  gigantic  whip;  plovers' 
eggs  came  from  the  people  of  Jever;  the  King  of  Prussia 
made  Bismarck  a  Count,  presented  him  with  a  rich  domain; 
and  in  the  general  excitement,  the  Chancellor's  famous  dog 
Tyras  was  honored  with  a  magnificent  blanket  with  his  ini- 
tials worked  in  gold,  in  the  four  corners,  costly  collars  to 
match — and  a  sofa; — also  this  explanatory  poem: 
"Tyras,  sei  huebsch,  artig  und  gut, 

Sei  es  by  Tag,  sei  es  by  Nacht! 

Bewache  unsern  Kanzler  gut: 

Dan  wird  als  Praeset  dir  dies  Kanap6  gebracht." 

Or,  "Tyras,  be  good,  gentle  and  kind;  all  day  long  and 
through  the  night  watch  over  our  Chancellor  faithfully;— 
and  this  gift  of  a  sofa  you'll  receive." 

H     II     H 

fl  But  this  was  only  the  beginning.  At  the  Universal  Exposi- 
tion in  the  jewelers'  section,  one  day  a  tall  stranger  was  in- 
specting the  beautiful  display,  and  one  of  the  exhibitors,  bow- 
ing politely,  asked  the  stranger  to  accept  a  magnificent  dia- 


196  Blood    and   Iron 

mond  ring.  "Your  Highness  knows  very  well  that  he  can- 
not deceive  me!  I  respect  your  Highness'  desire  to  remain 
incognito,  but  your  fame  has  preceded  you!" 
In  vain  the  stranger  protested.  The  ring  was  passed,  the 
exhibitor  was  highly  pleased,  the  stranger  offered  a  card, 
"Alexander  Schnabel,  Bavaria."  The  exhibitor  still  smiled, 
saying,  "I  respect  your  Highness'  incognito!"  The  stranger 
then  quickly  disappeared  in  the  crowd.  What  is  that  shout- 
ing over  yonder?  "Hurrah  for  Count  Bismarck!  He  comes! 
He  comes!"  In  a  moment,  the  diamond  merchant  saw  it  all. 
He  had  been  cruelly  deceived,  and  furthermore  had  deceived 
himself! 

•    •    • 

52 

Strange  superstition  ingrained  in  this  Bismarck 
mind;  what  ikon  do  you  believe  in,  as  you  urge  to 
duty  and  glory? 

TI  In  this  life,  each  man  has,  secretly  or  openly,  some  ikon 
against  which  to  charge,  by  way  of  explanation,  his  personal 
history. 

In  the  story  of  Bismarck  many  ikons  have  been  used  by 
many  writers,  to  account  for  the  puzzle  of  this  great  man's 
complex  career. 

Some  call  it  ambition;  others  will  power;  others  destiny. 
Certainly,  in  his  long  and  adventurous  career  Bismarck  was 
often  close  to  death. 

TfNow  Bismarck  himself  always  had  his  own  peculiar  ikon. 
He  called  it  God.  His  speeches  for  many  years  before  Sa- 
dowa,  his  protests  in  behalf  of  his  King,  as  against  the  ris- 
ing tide  of  Liberalism,  always  contained  amidst  thunders  of 
political  consequence,  the  name  God  as  the  one  explanation 
of  Bismarck's  history  and  Bismarck's  ultimate  victory. 
fllf  that  be  true — and  it  is  not  for  us  to  say  yes  or  no,  for 
we  are  reporting  the  man  as  he  is  and  not  the  way  we 
think  he  should  be — then  God  was  at  the  bloody  field  of 
Sadowa,  on  the  side  of  the  221,000  Germans,  armed  with 
needle-guns,  and  not  on  the  side  of  the  224,000  Austriana, 
armed  with  old-fashioned  muzzle-loaders; — and  the  clash  of 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United       197 

445,000  men  with  tens  of  thousands  left  dead  on  the  field, 

was  the  final  expression  of  the  will  of  God. 

fi  Thus  reasoned  Bismarck,  and  surely  he  should  be  the  best 

authority  on  the  conclusions  of  his  own  mind?    As  a  matter 

of  fact,  Bismarck's  profound  belief  that  God  was  on  his  side 

but  shows  Bismarck's  excess  of  faith — the  faith  that  moves 

mountains. 

•    •    • 

flit  has  been  said  by  eminent  historians  that  Bismarck  as 
the  Unifier  of  Germany  had  in  his  mind's  eye,  for  many  years, 
the  dream  of  Empire;  and  the  statement  is  either  true  or 
false. 

U  These  writers  call  Bismarck  the  man  with  the  vision,  the 
seer,  the  German  patriot  who  saw  in  an  early  dream  the  stir- 
ring plan  to  which  he  was  to  devote  his  long  and  arduous  life. 
IJYou  are  familiar  with  the  painting  by  LaFarge,  depicting 
the  boy  Napoleon,  in  the  school  yard  at  Brien,  walking  to 
one  side,  by  himself?  On  his  youthful  brow  is  already  an 
air  of  strange  preoccupation,  that  cloud  of  ambition,  as  an 
outward  sign  that  the  boy's  imagination  is  bodying  forth  the 
heroic  deeds  of  the  man,  many  years  hence. 
fl  Do  not  believe  it!  It  is  only  a  poetic  fancy,  not  human  life. 
Plans  such  as  Bismarck  met  and  carried  forth,  empires  such 
as  Napoleon  founded  are  not  placed  constructively  before  one 
in  a  vision,  nor  are  the  complex  ramifications  attendant  upon 
their  ultimate  achievement  a  matter  of  pre-vision. 
It  is  only  the  small  mind  that  plans  down  to  the  hair's 
breadth.  Your  truly  great  man,  like  Bismarck  or  Napoleon, 
takes  up  life  as  he  finds  it,  and  little  by  little  learns  the  busi- 
ness of  compelling  other  men  to  do  his  bidding;  and  always 
in  this  there  is  a  large  element  left  to  the  hazard  of  the 
die;  or  to  use  Bismarck's  own  phrase  just  before  Sadown, 
"Now  we  shall  see  how  the  god  of  battle  rolls  the  iron  dice!" 
Your  great  man  rides  forth  to  the  battle,  prepared  to  take 
instant  advantage  of  circumstances  as  they  may  rise. 
fi  Bismarck's  idea  of  United  Germany,  at  least  the  idea  he 
always  gave  to  the  public,  was  that  the  thing  might  be  done, 
with  and  through  the  power  of  God. 
The  word  God  appears  and  reappears  in  connection  with  his 


198  Blood   and   Iron 

plan;  in  his  messages,  speeches,  dispatches,  and  in  his  private 
letters,  he  calls  on  God.  I  am  not  here  to  say  that  Bismarck 
had  religious  visions.  I  take  it  that  he  never  heard  mysteri- 
ous voices  or  saw  ghostly  forms,  but  instead  was  an  in- 
tensely human  man  who  fought  out  his  life  even  as  you  fight 
out  yours — with  the  powers  with  which  you  are  endowed, 
and  for  such  ends  as  seem  worth  the  price,  to  you.  The  re- 
ligious faith  learned  at  his  mother's  knee,  made  Bismarck's 
life-work  a  sacred  vocation.  He  believed  that  he  was  chosen 
by  God  to  educate,  guide  and  discipline  the  German  people. 

•  :  •  •  • 

53 

"My  dear  professor,  whoever  has  once  looked  into 
the  breaking  eye  of  a  dying  warrior  on  the  battle- 
field, will  pause  ere  he  begins  war." 

II  And  now  we  meet  Bismarck  back  in  Berlin  wearing  his 
Koeniggraetz  military  cross,  suspended  by  a  ribbon  around 
the  collar  of  his  plain  blue  Prussian  uniform.  But  the  great 
strain  of  the  years  is  beginning  to  show.  For  one  thing  Bis- 
marck's eyes  are  failing;  he  uses  a  glass  as  he  muses  over 
his  mounds  of  state  papers;  his  face  is  lined  with  deep  marks; 
care  has  done  its  work;  our  Otto  is  now  bald,  obese  and  stiff 
jointed,  much  more  so  than  his  54  years  might  seem  to  call 
for.  In  making  speeches  he  does  not  speak  as  boldly,  as  di- 
rectly as  in  days  of  yore.  He  stops,  hesitates,  stammers, 
but  manages  to  hold  the  crowd. 

IJYou  see  he  has  a  world  of  things  on  his  mind;  the  under- 
play of  the  great  political  game  absorbs  his  very  life.  What, 
pray,  about  this  subconscious  impression,  that  everybody  has 
about  an  impending  war  with  France?  Bismarck,  as  deep 
as  the  sea,  is  still  seemingly  as  open  as  a  child. 
One  day,  a  famous  professor  made  the  fateful  inquiry  as  had 
hundreds  of  journalists — and  this  time  Bismarck  replied,  "My 
dear  professor,  whoever  has  once  looked  into  the  breaking 
eye  of  a  dying  warrior  on  the  battlefield,  will  pause  ere  he 
begins  a  war." 

U  So  much  for  the  astuteness  of  the  man  with  the  iron  cross. 
He  is  indeed  no  longer  learning  the  game. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United       199 

If  Already  Bismarck  was  thinking  of  great  armaments 
against  France;  for  she  was  now  demanding  territorial  com- 
pensations, as  between  Prussia  and  Austria.  We  find  in  the 
"Revue  Modern,"  August,  1865,  this  striking  interview  with 
Bismarck,  by  the  French  writer,  Vilbort: 
fi  "About  10  p.  m.  we  were  in  the  study  of  the  Premier,  when 
M.  Benedette,  the  French  Ambassador,  is  announced.  'Will 
you  take  a  cup  of  tea  in  the  salon?'  M.  de  Bismarck  said  to 
me.  'I  will  be  yours  in  a  moment.'  Two  hours  passed  away; 
midnight  struck;  one  o'clock.  Some  twenty  persons,  his  fam- 
ily and  intimate  friends,  awaited  their  host. 
fi  "The  tiny  cloud  on  the  horizon  as  yet  had  no  name,  but  this 
cloud  hung  to  the  west  across  the  Rhine. 
||  "At  last  he  appeared,  with  a  cheerful  face  and  a  smile  upon 
his  lips.  Tea  was  taken;  there  was  smoking  and  beer,  in 
German  fashion.  Conversation  turned,  pleasantly  or  seri- 
ously, on  Germany,  Italy  and  France.  Rumors  of  a  war  with 
France  were  then  current  for  the  tenth  time  in  Berlin.  At 
the  moment  of  my  departure,  I  said:  'M.  le  Ministre,  will  you 
pardon  me  a  very  indiscreet  question?  Do  I  take  war  or 
peace  with  me  back  to  Paris?'  M.  de  Bismarck  replied,  with 
animation:  'Friendship,  a  lasting  friendship  with  France!  I 
entertain  the  firmest  hope  that  France  and  Prussia,  in  the 
future,  will  represent  the  dualism  of  intelligence  and 
progress.'  Nevertheless,  it  seemed  to  us  that  at  these  words 
we  surprised  a  singular  smile  on  the  lips  of  a  man  who  is 
destined  to  play  a  distinguished  part  in  Prussian  politics, 

the  Privy  Councillor  Baron  von  .     We  visited  him  the 

next  morning,  and  admitted  to  him  how  much  reflection  this 
smile  had  caused  us.  'You  leave  for  France  tonight,'  he  re- 
plied; 'well,  give  me  your  word  of  honor  to  preserve  the  se- 
cret I  am  about  to  confide  to  you  until  you  reach  Paris  ?  Ere 
a  fortnight  is  past  we  shall  have  war  on  the  Rhine,  if 
France  insists  upon  her  territorial  demands.  She  asks  of 
us  what  we  neither  will  nor  can  give.  Prussia  will  not  cede 
an  inch  of  German  soil;  we  cannot  do  so  without  raising 
the  whole  of  Germany  against  us,  and,  if  it  be  necessary, 
let  it  rise  against  France  rather  than  ourselves." 
fi  The  treasonable  speech  of  the  Baron  did  not,  however,  bear 


2OO  Blood   and   Iron 

fruit  "in  a  fortnight,"  but  Bismarck  knew  the  great  political 
game  well,  and  everything  served  him  in  his  German  under- 
takings. We  shall  see. 

•    •   '• 

54 

The  curtain  falls  in  triumph  on  another  spirited  act 
in  the  great  drama  "Germania." 

H  The  political  fruits  of  Sadowa  may  be  summed  up  in  a  few 
sentences.  We  clear  the  air  for  the  grand  finale,  at  the 
palace  of  the  French  kings  at  Versailles,  four  years  later. 
U  By  the  Prague  treaty,  August  23,  1866,  Austria  consented 
to  the  reconstruction  of  the  Federation  and  retired  from  the 
scene. 

Bismarck  saw  that  the  large  states  beyond  the  River  Main, — 
Bavaria,  Wuertemberg,  Baden  and  South-Hesse,  were  not 
yet  ready  for  his  new  North  German  Confederation;  but  he 
would  bring  them  in — somehow — later!  As  for  Hanover, 
Hesse-Cassel,  Frankfort,  and  Schleswig-Holstein,  they  were 
now  mapped  with  Prussia,  their  crime  being  this,  that  they 
had  opposed  Prussia  in  a  half-hearted  way,  before  Sadowa. 
U  Bismarck  now  set  up  his  popular  Prussian  Constitution. 
Wonder  of  wonders!  Really,  it  differed  not  in  essentials  from 
the  hated  Liberal  Constitution  that  he  had  assailed  so  vigor- 
ously in  1848.  Also,  up  to  1866,  the  Unifier  of  Germany  had 
as  we  have  seen  always  appeared  as  an  opponent  of  the  Na- 
tional German  party.  When,  however,  he  had  become  its 
leader,  through  the  great  politico-military  struggle,  he 
brought  about  the  results  vainly  fought  for  by  the  patriots 
in  the  revolution  of  1848.  The  distinction  was  that  in  the 
Revolutionary  days,  the  King  would  have  been  obliged  to 
stoop  to  the  gutter  for  a  "people's  crown,"  whereas  now  he 
need  do  no  such  humiliating  thing.  The  two  wars  had  proven 
William  monarch  "by  Divine  right." 

U  However,  a  blaze  of  aristocratic  honors  at  the  hands  of 
King  William  pleased  Bismarck  more  than  he  was  willing 
to  admit.  Count  Bismarck,  one  night,  when  the  people  came 
with  the  torchlights,  sounded  the  old  German  keynote  in  a 
new  way,  as  follows: 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      201 

If  "We  have  always  belonged  to  each  other  as  Germans— we 
have  ever  been  brothers — but  we  were  unconscious  of  it.  In 
this  country,  too,  there  were  different  races:  Schleswigers, 
Holsteiners,  and  Lauenburgerg;  as,  also,  Mecklenburgers, 
Hanoverians,  Luebeckers,  and  Hamburgers  exist,  and  they 
are  free  to  remain  what  they  are,  in  the  knowledge  that 
they  are  Germans— that  they  are  brothers.  And  here  in 
the  North  we  should  be  doubly  aware  of  it,  with  our  Platt 
Deutsch,  which  stretches  from  Holland  to  the  Polish  frontier; 
we  were  also  conscious  of  it,  but  have  not  proclaimed  it  un- 
til now.  But  that  we  have  again  so  joyfully  and  vividly  been 
able  to  recognize  our  German  descent  and  solidarity — for 
that  we  must  thank  the  man  whose  wisdom  and  energy  have 
rendered  this  consciousness  a  truth  and  a  fact,  in  bringing 
our  King  and  Lord  a  hearty  cheer.  Long  live  His  Majesty, 
our  most  gracious  King  and  Sovereign,  William  the  First!" 
tIA  cheer  resounded  throughout  the  castle-yard. 
U  The  new  Constitution  gave  to  the  people  manhood  suffrage 
and  a  popular  Assembly.  The  King  of  Prussia  was  made 
President  of  the  new  Federation,  but  not  its  sovereign. 
Prussia  ruled  in  her  own  way,  henceforth,  but  the  fiction  of 
the  King,  as  President,  served  to  steady  the  minor  dis- 
gruntled German  princelings,  who  were  led  to  believe  that 
their  councils  were  still  reckoned  with  in  great  affairs.  How- 
ever, the  voting  was  so  arranged  that  Prussia  controlled,  off- 
hand, 17  out  of  48  units  in  the  new  political  Confederation — 
and  in  a  pinch  Bismarck  could  rely  on  having  the  desired 
majority. 

fl  Some  say  that  Bismarck  was  influenced  by  the  socialist 
Lasalle  to  make  concessions  to  the  people,  of  a  piece  with 
the  concessions  which  in  '48  Bismarck  had  fought  because 
they  sprang  from  revolutionists;  but  the  liberal  aspects  of 
the  new  Constitution  served  to  place  the  great  dream  of 
German  Unity  on  a  firmer  basis  than  would  otherwise  have 
been  possible.  Bismarck  was  learning  this:  To  try  to  choke 
the  current  of  public  opinion  is  folly;  the  wise  man,  instead, 
aims  to  direct  the  waters  to  his  own  advantage. 
TJThe  North  German  Confederation  comprised  22  states  and 
Bismarck  was  made  Chancellor.  The  Constitution  was 


2O2  Blood    and    Iron 

adopted  February  24th,   1867.     For  all  practical   purposes, 

the  German  Empire  was  now  a  fact. 

fl  But  more  work  was  still  to  be  done,  by  way  of  bloody 

Gravelotte,  Metz,  Mar-la-Tour,  St.  Privat,  Woerth,  Spichern 

Heights,  Sedan,  and  the  Siege  of  Paris. 

^Corpses,  corpses  everywhere,  lying  in  windrows  miles  long! 


55 

The  master  uses  the  masses  as  the  gardener  utilizes 
manure  —  fertilizing  the  soil  with  blood  and  bones! 

fl  Bismarck  knows  that  to  demand  in  an  emphatic  way  is  the 
surest  way  of  receiving.  He  is  always  studying  men,  look- 
ing ahead  to  the  time  of  the  inevitable  French  war.  He  is 
asking  himself,  concerning  various  monarchs  of  adjacent 
nations,  opposed  to  Prussia:  "On  which  side  will  he  be?" 
"Is  he  weak?"  "Can  he  be  relied  on  to  stand  on  my  side?" 
"Is  he  dangerous?"  "Will  he  take  a  bribe?"  "At  any  rate, 
give  him  what  he  wants  —  but  let  me  do  it  in  such  a  way  that 
he  thinks  he  is  forcing  us  to  do  what  he  wants,  whereas  we 
know  how  to  make  him  actually  demand  our  own  terms!" 
U  Thus  Bismarck  without  histronic  talent,  with  his  piping 
voice  and  his  prohibitory  bulk  for  heroic  theater-roles,  is  at 
heart  the  great  actor-manager  of  his  time.  Instead  of  creat- 
ing parts,  he  deals  them  out. 

U  He  goes  through  this  world  during  these  trying  times 
finding  the  best  men  to  do  his  own  bidding  in  the  coming 
war.  And  when  he  is  hissed  down  by  those  who  will  not 
acknowledge  his  right  he  breaks  their  power  by  defying  them 
—  as  the  hurricane  scatters  the  clouds,  nor  asks  permission. 
II  They  say  that  had  he  lost  the  Austrian  war,  he  would  have 
gone  to  the  gallows.  Can  a  Man  of  Destiny  lose? 
U  A  new  era  is  dawning.  The  old  worn-out  system  for  a  dis- 
united Germany  of  39  jealous  states  is  to  be  swept  away. 
U  For  thirty  years  he  dreamed  of  the  inevitable  German 
Union,  had  his  visions  of  that  glory.  He  was  greater  than 
himself  in  those  black  hours  before  the  Parliament,  for  four 
long  years  thundering  for  his  side;  —  with  public  opinion  flat 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      203 

against  him,  and  with  mutterings  on  part  of  angry  mobs  that 
would  bring  the  rope  and  hang  Bismarck  to  the  highest  tree. 


If  Throughout  Germany,  distressed  as  her  people  had  been 
for  years  past  by  political  and  social  miseries,  a  growing 
consciousness  of  brotherhood,  blood  and  language  was  at 
last  about  to  be  politically  realized. 

Even  Napoleon  the  Little,  political  fool  that  he  was  in  many 
respects,  at  least  had  one  idea  that  showed  his  common 
sense.  However,  in  his  day  he  was  laughed  out  of  court  for 
his  "theory  of  nationality,"  that  is  to  say,  he  believed  that 
people  speaking  a  common  language  and  living  in  contiguous 
territory,  have  an  inalienable  right  to  a  common  flag. 
fl  Now  that  is  precisely  what  German  poets  had  in  mind, 
in  their  romantic  way,  when  for  well-nigh  100  years  past 
they  had  been  dreaming  of  a  united  Fatherland — 

Fuer  Heim  und  Herd,  fuer  Weib  und  Blind 
Fuer  jedes  treue  Gut — 

Or,  in  other  words,  a  man's  house  is  his  castle  and  if  men 
will  not  fight  for  their  hearthstones,  then  they  will  soon  have 
no  hearthstones. 

For  home  and  hearth,  for  wife  and  child — 

These  things  we  prize  the  most; 

And  fight  to  keep  them  undefiled 

By  foreign  ruffian  host. 

For  German  Right,  for  German  Speech, 

For  German  household  ways, 

For  German  homesteads,  all  and  each 

Strike  men,  through  battle's  blaze! 
Hurrah!   Hurrah! 
Hurrah,  Germania! 

If  The  words,  "Auf,  Deutschland,  auf,  und  Gott  mit  dir!" 
"To  arms,  Germany,  and  God  be  with  thee!"  is  a  National 
hymn  breathing  the  solemn  thought  that  Germans  are  not 

slaves- 
Old  feuds,  old  hates  are  dashed  aside 

All  Germany  is  one! 


2O4  Blood   and   Iron 

If  Bismarck's  work,  raw  as  it  may  seem  in  many  respects,  was 

consecrated  to  the  great  central  idea  that  the  German  race 

is  one,  or  as  the  poet  Freiligrath  puts  it  in  one  of  his  stirring 

lines,  "Das  deutsche  Volk  ist  Bins!" 

Tl  The  whole  thing  comes  down  to  the  inner  meaning  of  the 

word  "patriotism."    Tolstoi  calls  patriotism  a  frightful  vice; 

Washington  regarded  patriotism  as  a  virtue  of  virtues. 

If  Take  your  choice. 

fl  He  is  even  now  brooding  over  the  element  necessary  for 

the  perpetuation  of  a  free  and  United  Germany.     He  reads 

his  Bible  and  prepares  for  the  French  war. 

fl  Bismarck  used  the  masses  as  the  gardener  uses  manure. 

The  blood  of  the  peasantry  manured  the  ground,  out  of  which 

was  to  grow  the  harvest. 

B   B   B 
CHAPTER  XV 

Uty?  (irrat  $*ar,  1BT0 

56 

Bismarck  and  Von  Moltke,  over  a  bowl  of  sherry 
punch,  discuss  "these  poor  times" — The  Emperor- 
hunt  begins. 

fl  Volumes  have  been  written  to  explain  the  origin  of  the 
Franco-Prussian  war,  and  the  intricate  and  inter-related 
facts  are  gone  over  again  and  again,  now  with  emphasis  here, 
again  on  the  other  side. 

B   B   B 

flit  is  trite  to  say  that  Bismarck  foresaw  that  a  war  with 
France  was  inevitable.  Behind  this  simple  statement  is  a 
world  of  intrigue  and  ambition.  The  French  still  hold  that 
the  annexation  of  Alsace-Lorraine  was  the  price  not  of  war 
but  of  Bismarck's  brigandage.  The  French  also  believe  that 
the  candidacy  of  Prince  Leopold  Hohenzollern  for  the  Span- 
ish throne  was  a  Prussian  intrigue  against  France.  The 
controversy  on  these  points  will  never  be  settled,  till  the 
Doomsday  Book  is  opened. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      205 

flWhen  Bismarck  sees  that  his  work  of  unifying  Germany 
cannot  be  completed  without  another  war,  the  war  comes! 
His  amazing  insight  into  complex  political,  military  and 
historical  situations,  in  which  with  a  few  words  he  is  able 
to  divert  public  opinion  to  his  own  peculiar  view,  has  been 
shown  never  with  more  diabolical  cunning  than  at  the  time 
of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war.  We  refer 
here  to  the  "Ems  dispatch,"  that  played  a  startling  part  in 
bringing  on  the  war;  but  the  telegram,  in  itself,  was  really 
a  simple  thing. 

If  For  four  years,  Germany  had  been  increasing  her  military 
power  by  ten-fold.  The  greatest  military  martinet  of  all 
time,  Von  Roon,  had  the  men  up  at  three  and  four  in  the 
morning  drilling  them  as  human  beings  were  never  drilled 
before.  Von  Moltke,  "with  the  battle  pictures  in  his  brain," 
was  planning  every  detail  against  France. 
If  The  preparations  were  now  complete.  The  Germans  were 
thoroughly  organized,  led  by  generals  guided  by  a  single 
brain,  von  Moltke,  master  of  tactics  and  strategy. 
If  Just  the  day  the  war  broke  out  von  Moltke,  who  was  always 
as  taciturn  as  the  Sphinx,  "and  in  times  of  peace  ugly  and 
crabbed,"  was  sitting  in  his  garden  moodily  declaiming 
against  these  poor  times — with  no  war  in  sight! 
Bismarck  greeted  his  compatriot,  bravely.  Von  Moltke  or- 
dered sherry  punch  and  the  two  cronies  began  drinking  each 
other's  health, 

If  "You  are  not  looking  well,  Chief?"  began  Bismarck. 
If  "No,  I  have  not  been  well,  lately!" 

If  "But  you  must  cheer  up.  War  is  your  business  and  you 
will  now  quickly  mend.  I  remember  when  the  Spanish  war 
was  the  burning  question  you  looked  at  least  ten  years 
younger.  When  I  told  you  that  the  Hohenzollern  prince  gave 
the  thing  up,  you  became  at  once  ten  years  older.  This  time, 
the  French  have  made  difficulties,  and  you  look  fresh  and 
younger  by  ten  years." 

If  In  this  light-hearted  way  Bismarck  spoke  of  the  oncoming 
strife — up  to  the  year  1914  the  bloodiest  in  the  history  of 
the  world. 

@  a  H 


206  Blood    and    Iron 


57 

The  bugle  blast  "For  God  and  Fatherland!"  again 
resounds  throughout  Germany  —  The  great  host 
crosses  the  Rhine. 

H  Up  to  1914,  there  never  was  such  a  disciplined  army  since 
the  world  began!  Neither  Napoleon,  Caesar  nor  Alexander 
ever  had  a  power  like  the  United  German  swarm,  now  num- 
bering 1,200,000  men,  counting  advance  and  reserve;  how- 
ever, the  total  strength  was  never  called,  as  the  war  was 
practically  over  in  seven  weeks. 

The  hosts  of  Germany,  800,000  strong,  helmeted,  machine- 
like,  moved  silently  and  swiftly  toward  the  Rhine,  carrying 
their  trusty  needle-guns  which  had  done  such  destruction 
at  Koeniggraetz.  As  they  marched  they  sang  the  war  songs 
of  their  race,  and  swore  to  guard  the  Rhine. 

Zum  Rhine,  zum  Rhine,  zum  Deutchen  Rhine, 

Wir  alle  wollen  Hueter  sein; 

Lieb  Vaterland  magst  ruhig  sein, 

Fest  steht  und  treu  die  Wacht  am  Rhine! 

fl  The  King  immediately  left  for  the  seat  of  war,  Mayennce 
being  the  first  headquarters  of  the  royal  party.  Bismarck 
was  always  close  to  the  King. 

1|  Bismarck  had  been  only  a  few  days  in  the  field  when  his 
health  began  to  improve.  Like  von  Moltke,  Bismarck  looked 
ten  years  younger. 

The  old-time  biliousness  and  vein-swelling  from  which  he 
Buffered,  now  passed  away;  the  irritability  vanished;  he  was 
cool  and  collected. 

H  He  was  attended  throughout  the  war  by  a  corps  of  cipher- 
erg,  decipherers,  cooks,  privy  counsellors,  secretaries,  and 
couriers.  Faithful  Dr.  Busch,  head  of  the  Bismarck  press- 
agency,  was  one  of  the  busiest  men  of  the  hour.  Bismarck, 
who  learned  the  power  of  the  press  in  shaping  public  opinion, 
kept  Busch  constantly  employed  sending  out  telegrams,  giv- 
ing the  German  side  of  the  war. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      207 

fl  The  Chancellor  wore  the  white  uniform  of  Heavy  Landwehr 
Cavalry,  with  white  cap  and  top  boots. 

If  Bismarck  and  his  staff  camped  along  the  line  of  advance, 
wherever  night  fell — sometimes  in  the  chateau  of  a  French 
nobleman,  again  in  the  hut  of  a  French  peasant.  The  com- 
pany ate  at  a  common  table,  and  had  the  same  fare.  Bis- 
marck was  called  "Chief." 

U  Often  the  table  was  made  by  taking  doors  off  their  hinges 
and  placing  them  on  barrels  or  boxes;  then  waiters  spread 
the  cloth  and  brought  out  pewter  plates  and  huge  tumblers 
of  a  silver-like  metal,  lined  with  gilt. 

Candles  were  stuck  in  empty  wine  bottles.  Thus  the  great 
man  worked  during  the  war,  week  after  week. 
Dr.  Busch,  although  a  very  busy  man,  managed  to  gather  two 
volumes  of  table  talk,  minute  details  of  what  Bismarck  said, 
ate,  drank,  preached,  the  whole  set  forth  in  spirited  style, 
affording  an  intimate  picture  of  the  Iron  Chancellor  to  which 
all  historians  are  henceforth  under  obligations. 
U  Firing  was  going  on  around  the  royal  party,  often  dan- 
gerously near  by,  and  now  and  then  a  battle  would  take  place 
close  to  where  the  King  was  encamped,  with  his  faithful 
minister.  They  would  ride  out,  to  see  the  fight.  Bismarck 
read  dispatches,  made  notes,  talked  to  His  Majesty,  gave 
instructions  on  state  matters,  counseled  with  von  Moltke  on 
military  matters,  received  visits,  and  studied  maps.  This 
continued  all  day  and  sometimes  all  night. 


58 

Germans   drink   2,500,000   bottles  of   champagne  at 
Rheims — Bismarck's  ironical  revenge! 

II  The  high  tension  of  war  was  relieved  by  amusing  episodes, 
from  day  to  day.  In  the  evening  of  the  arrival  at  Rheims, 
Bismarck  humored  himself  trying  various  brands  of  cham- 
pagne. Word  was  brought  that  the  day  before  a  squadron 
of  Prussian  hussars  had  been  fired  on  from  a  leading  hotel. 
Bismarck  ordered  that  the  house  should  at  once  be  torn  down 
and  the  landlord  sent  to  prison;  but  when  it  was  explained 


208  Blood   and   Iron 

that  none  had  been  injured,  Bismarck  waggishly  decided  to 
lei  the  landlord  off  if  he  would  give  2,500  bottles  of  cham- 
pagne to  the  squadron — an  obligation  which  the  man  quickly 
proceeded  to  settle. 

fl  The  Prussians  drank,  in  and  around  Rheims,  some  2,500,000 
bottles  of  champagne;  and,  for  that  matter,  the  highways 
all  the  way  to  Paris  were  marked  with  long  lines  of  empty 
bottles! 

HUH 

fl  Thus  Bismarck  had  his  ironical  revenge  on  France;  took 
his  cherry  brandy  or  his  champagne  as  he  pleased,  while 
the  great  war  waged. 

•    •    • 

fl  "Verily,  in  all  history,"  wrote  Carlyle  to  the  London  Times, 
"there  is  no  instance  of  an  insolent  unjust  neighbor  that  ever 
got  so  complete,  instantaneous  and  ignominious  a  smashing 
down,  as  France  now  got  from  Germany."  The  whole  civ- 
ilized world  looked  on  in  amazement. 

U  France  had  declared  war  July  15th,  and  the  crushing  defeat 
at  Sedan  came  September  1. 

However,  it  took  seven  months  before  Bismarck  was  satis- 
fied that  the  final  papers  were  drawn  to  his  satisfaction. 
Louis  Napoleon  being  a  prisoner  of  war,  had  lost  his  throne; 
and  consequently  Bismarck  insisted  that  any  peace  made 
with  France  would  have  to  be  ratified  by  some  central  au- 
thority. It  is  a  long,  interesting  story,  but  Bismarck  finally 
won  his  point. 


59 

Sedan  and  the  Belgian  weaver's  hut;  the  highways 
to  Paris  are  strewn  with  wine  bottles;  death  drinks 
a  toast  to  "German  Unity." 

If  As  it  had  been  the  Iron  Chancellor's  fortune  to  be  present 
at  the  crowning  victory  of  Koeniggraetz,  in  the  Austrian 
war,  likewise  it  was  now  his  destiny  to  be  a  spectator  at  the 
two  battles  that  decided  the  issue  of  the  French  war,  Grave- 
lotte  and  Sedan. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      209 

The  spoils  were  immense,  the  glory  set  Germany  in  flames. 
Bismarck,  von  Roon  and  von  Moltke  were  held  to  be  the 
greatest  men  of  all  time. 

U  Gravelotte,  the  bloodiest  battle  of  the  campaign,  engaged 
335,000  men  and  1,362  cannon.  The  King  commanded  in 
person,  on  the  right,  and  Bismarck  was  with  him. 
The  carnage  was  frightful.  Bismarck  busied  himself  carry- 
ing water  to  the  wounded.  When  the  sun  went  down,  Ger- 
man victory  was  complete,  at  the  loss  of  every  tenth  man! 
TI  That  night,  Bismarck  bivouacked  on  the  battlefield,  amidst 
serried  ranks  of  the  dead.  Says  one  who  saw  the  terrifying 
scene:  "Anon,  the  watchfires  of  the  Prussians  blazed  round 
about;  and  worn  out  by  incredible  exertions  at  last  Bismarck 
fell  asleep,  among  the  living  and  the  dead.  He  was  now  to 
have  evidence  of  the  result  of  his  life-long  ambition;  he  had 
plunged  his  country  into  three  great  wars,  with  all  their 
dreadful  toll  of  human  life;  but  he  slept  that  night  the  sleep 
of  the  just  —  because  he  saw,  in  the  complex  blending  of  his 
ideas,  no  inconsistency  in  paying  any  price  for  the  glory  of 
his  country." 


whole  bloody  day  at  Gravelotte  Bismarck  had  nothing 
to  eat.  Finally,  he  found  a  hen's  nest  with  five  eggs;  giving 
three  to  half-starving  soldiers  near  by,  Bismarck  with  his 
sword  broke  the  shells  of  the  two  remaining  and  sucked  the 
eggs. 

Next  morning  he  had  some  sausage  soup,  the  first  warm 
food  that  had  passed  his  lips  for  36  hours. 
U  While  he  was  standing  dismounted,  a  concealed  French  bat- 
tery began  a  tremendous  cannonade;  the  shells  dropping  all 
around,  exploded,  and  plowed  up  the  ground. 
U  Night  again.    Nothing  to  eat.    A  sutler  had  some  miserable 
rum  and  wine.     Bismarck  took  that,  at  once,  but  there  was 
not  a  morsel  to  eat.    In  the  village,  a  few  cutlets  were  found 
after  a  hard  search,  just  enough  for  the  King. 
His  Majesty  decided  not  to  bivouac  among  the  dead  again, 
but  took  shelter  at  a  little  public  house. 

If  Bismarck  with  General  Sheridan  set  off  to  find  a  sleeping 
place.    House  after  house  was  filled  with  the  wounded. 


2io  Blood   and   Iron 

Finally  they  found  three  empty  beds  with  straw  mattresses. 

Here  Bismarck  and  General  Sheridan  took  up  their  quarters 

and  slept  capitally. 

Sheridan   was   present   as   official   observer  for   the   United 

States  Army.    In  his  life,  he  had  seen  many  great  battles, 

including  Gettysburg  and  Sedan. 

fl  Bismarck  talked  to  Sheridan  in  English;  and  at  dinner  they 

drank  champagne  and  porter,  Bismarck's  favorite  beverage. 

BBS 

flWith  tens  of  thousands  of  Cuirassiers  as  companions  the 
King  and  Bismarck  rode  down  the  broad  highways,  toward 
Paris;  Bismarck  wore  his  famous  big  top-boots. 
What  a  picture  the  King,  Bismarck  and  ron  Moltke  march- 
ing down  the  highways  of  France,  at  their  back  their  al- 
mighty army,  up  to  1914  the  greatest  in  all  history,  its  fight- 
ing strength  600,000  men,  perfectly  drilled  and  armed  with 
deadly  needle-guns.  In  puffs  of  smoke  the  reign  of  Napoleon 
the  Little  was  ending;  and  it  is  now  curious  to  recall  that, 
50  years  before,  as  a  young  lieutenant,  the  present  King  of 
Prussia  had  traversed  almost  the  identical  route  with  the 
Allies,  to  help  defeat  Napoleon  the  Great! 

BBS! 

II  The  iron  heel  of  war  was  grinding  men's  lives  into  the 
dust,  setting  fire  to  the  country,  and  leaving  a  trail  of  de- 
struction. 

France  looked  along  the  German  route  as  though  a  cyclone 
had  devastated  the  face  of  nature. 

flPast  cities,  towns,  vineyards,  chateaux,  the  tramp,  tramp, 
tramp;  the  roll  of  the  war  drums;  the  rumbling  of  wheels  — 
so  the  terrible  Prussians  marched  on! 

U  "Summer  was  passing,"  says  Lowe,  "Autumn  was  coming 
fast;  France  had  turned  from  the  sap  green  of  the  vineyards 
to  the  golden  hues  of  the  harvest;  but  it  was  the  harvest  of 
Death." 


came  a  gigantic  cavalry  movement,  to  the  right,  a 
prodigious  wheel,  to  round-up  the  French  MacMahon,  who  had 
dodged  and  doubled  in  the  basin  of  the  Meuse.  "The  chase," 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      211 

said  Bismarck,  "reminds  me  of  a  wolf  hunt  in  the  Ardennes, 
but  when  we  arrived,  the  wolf  had  vanished!" 
To  make  common  ground  with  Bazaine,  MacMahon  concen- 
trated his  troops,  with  the  idea  of  breaking  the  siege  of  Metz, 
where  175,000  French  soldiers  were  undergoing  the  horrors 
of  starvation. 

The  Germans  outwitted  MacMahon,  who  finally  decided  to 
make  a  last  stand  around  the  frontier  fortress  of  Sedan. 
If  On  the  night  of  August  31,  the  Germans  closed  in  on  him, 
in  what  proved  to  be  one  of  the  momentous  battles  in  the 
world's  history. 

Von  Roon  and  Moltke  had  121,000  infantry  and  618  cannon, 
the  French  70,000  of  all  arms,  320  cannon  and  70  Mitrail- 
leuses. 

On  the  slopes  of  Frenois,  the  Prussian  King,  Bismarck  and 
a  brilliant  retinue  witnessed  for  ten  hours  the  dreadful  car- 
nage reddening  the  fields. 

If  "More  artillery!"  cried  the  King,  surprised  that  the  French 
would  not  yield. 

In  the  King's  retinue  stood  Bismarck,  a  crowd  of  princes, 
dukes,  aide-de-camps,  marshals,  besides  army  attaches  of 
Russia,  England  and  America. 

If  On  the  King's  order,  600  German  guns  began  drawing  the 
most  terrific  artillery  fire  in  the  history  of  battles,  concen- 
trating an  ever-narrowing  circle  of  flame  and  shell  around 
the  doomed  place.  It  was  too  much  for  flesh  and  blood;  a 
white  flag  was  hoisted. 

The  Prussian  flag  of  truce  to  inquire  for  the  commander, 
was  led  into  the  presence  of  Napoleon,  trapped  at  Sedan! 
flMoltke's  terms  were  short;  the  whole  French  army  was  to 
surrender  as  prisoners  of  war. 

The  French  regarded  this  as  too  severe  after  their  heroism, 
but  the  Prussians  were  inexorable;  an  armistice  left  the  final 
decision  till  daylight. 

SI     SI     1! 

If  Bismarck  passed  the  night  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Jeanpot,  at 
Donchery,  a  few  miles  from  the  bloody  field  of  Sedan. 
Along  about  daybreak,  a  servant  awakened  Bismarck,  telling 


212  Blood    and    Iron 

him  a  French  general  was  at  the  door.  It  was  Reille,  Napo- 
leon's messenger,  saying  "Napoleon  is  on  the  way  over  to 
see  the  King  of  Prussia!" 

fl  What  a  moment!  How  Bismarck's  pride  must  have  risen; 
how  he  must  have  gritted  his  wolf's  teeth  and  felt  his  gorge 
rise  as  he  realized  that  the  hour  of  his  life-long  revenge  was 
at  hand,  against  hig  old  enemy. 

If  And  yet,  that  night,  he  had  been  reading  in  his  room  after 
the  dreadful  Sedan  carnage — what  do  you  think?  Human 
inconsistency!  "Daily  Refreshment  for  Believing  Chris- 
tians," by  the  Moravian  brotherhood. 

II  Unwashed,  breakfastless,  Bismarck  immediately  set  out, 
His  revolver  in  his  belt;  down  the  road  Napoleon's  carriage, 
"evidently  a  hired  one,"  said  Bismarck  afterwards,  recount- 
ing the  scene,  "came  into  view;  the  Emperor  was  escorted  by 
a  handful  of  officers;  Napoleon  had  on  his  military  uniform, 
wore  white  kid  gloves,  and  was  smoking  a  cigarette!" 
fl  Bowing  and  asking  His  Majesty's  pleasure,  Napoleon  asks 
Bismarck,  "I  wish  to  meet  the  King  of  Prussia."  Bismarck 
replies,  "Unfortunately  impossible;  the  King  is  quartered 
some  fifteen  miles  away."  However,  it  is  only  a  trick  to  gain 
time.  Bismarck  has  certain  powerful  reasons  why  he  does 
not  desire,  just  then,  that  Napoleon  and  William  should 
meet.  We  shall  see,  presently. 

H  Napoleon  drives  slowly  onward,  but  nearing  Donchery 
hesitates  on  account  of  the  crowd;  and  spying  a  solitary  cot- 
tage near  by,  asks  if  he  could  not  remain  there. 
U  It  is  the  hut  of  a  weaver  of  Donchery — a  mean,  dirty  place 
— and  stands  about  fifteen  paces  from  the  high-road,  which 
is  lined  with  poplars;  the  house  is  one-story,  yellow,  with 
four  windows,  and  has  a  slate  roof. 

U  Bismarck  and  Napoleon  ascend  a  rickety,  narrow  staircase 
giving  entrance  to  a  gloomy  chamber,  in  which  are  a  deal 
table  and  two  rush-bottomed  chairs.  Here  the  two  men  sit 
alone  for  an  hour.  What  a  moment  in  history! 

IB    19    H 

U  Only  a  few  years  before,  that  is  to  say,  in  October,  1865, 
Bismarck  had  sought  out  Napoleon  III,  or  "Napoleon  the 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      213 

Little,"  and  had  held  a  famous  political  interview;  the  meet- 
ing at  Biarritz  found  Napoleon  filled  with  ambitions  to  emu- 
late the  illustrious  career  of  his  uncle,  Napoleon  Bonaparte; 
but  the  secret  although  well  kept  did  not  escape  the  vision 
of  Bismarck. 

flThe  Iron  Chancellor  came  as  a  friend,  on  a  pleasant  ex- 
change of  diplomatic  courtesies,  but  in  secret  he  was  sound- 
ing Napoleon's  possible  attitude  in  the  oncoming  Prussian 
war,  against  Austria.  The  Emperor  was  completely  tricked. 
Bismarck  talked  frankly  of  the  necessity  of  "reform"  in  the 
German  Confederation,  and  Napoleon,  whose  hobby  was  that 
peoples  speaking  the  same  language  should  be  under  one 
rule,  fell  in  quite  naturally  with  the  plan  to  "reform"  Prus- 
sia. The  Emperor  thought  that  Bismarck  had  in  mind  only 
certain  constitutional  changes  in  Prussia,  not  dynastic 
changes,  destroying  the  European  balance  of  power  and  pre- 
paring the  way  for  German  Unity. 

fl  Bismarck  made  clear  to  the  Emperor  that,  in  return  for 
keeping  out  of  any  impending  Austrian  clash,  France  would 
be  rewarded  by  enlarged  boundaries.  As  an  enlightened 
egotist,  Bismarck  felt  that  it  was  "only  fair"  to  acknowledge 
French  help  with  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine.  It  was  all 
a  bluff.  But  Napoleon,  with  his  hunger  to  enlarge  French 
territory,  and  to  appear  before  France  as  a  sort  of  second 
Napoleon  the  Great,  fell  in  with  the  conspiracy.  Herein, 
the  Bismarckian  skill  at  stacking  the  cards  reaches  its  height. 
fl  And  now  to  think  that  the  next  meeting  of  the  French 
lamb  and  the  Prussian  wolf  should  take  place  in  a  weaver's 
hut,  Napoleon  stripped  of  glory  and  power  by  the  man  who 
was  to  "give"  great  lands  to  France. 

flThe  Emperor  had  been  caught  in  his  own  trap;  his  armies 
had  been  crushed;  his  government  destroyed  by  Bismarck's 
genius  for  political  intrigue.  The  rise  to  power  of  Prussia 
over  Austria,  against  which  Napoleon  had  been  tricked  not 
to  protest,  was  a  turning  point  in  the  history  of  modern 
Europe.  Hence  we  say  that  these  two  contrasted  interviews, 
the  one  of  glory,  the  other  of  the  downfall,  Biarritz  and  the 
Weaver's  Hut,  show  our  Otto  von  Bismarck  as  the  supreme 
politico-military  genius  of  his  time. 


214  Blood    and    Iron 

If  A  curious  sidelight  on  the  famous  interview  at  Biarritz  is 
supplied  by  Bismarck's  writings.  "Napoleon  said  things 
could  not  go  on  as  they  had  been  doing,  in  Prussia,"  wrote 
Bismarck,  "otherwise  there  would  soon  be  an  uprising  in 
Berlin  and  a  revolution  in  the  whole  country.  I  told  him 
that  the  people  of  our  country  were  not  barricade-builders, 
and  that  in  Prussia  revolutions  were  made  only  by  the  kings. 
If  the  King  could  stand  the  strain  on  him  for  three  or  four 
years  he  would  certainly  win  the  game.  Unless  he  got  tired 
and  left  me,  I  would  not  fail  him.  The  Emperor  at  that  time 
said  of  me,  'Ce  n'est  pas  un  homme  serieux,'  (Bismarck  is 
not  a  serious  man),  a  mot  of  which  I  did  not  think  myself  at 
liberty  to  remind  him,  in  the  weaver's  hut,  at  Donchery." 

B    B    fl 

If  Bismarck  exercised  all  his  mighty  ingenuity  to  keep  Napo- 
leon from  urging  too  far  that  the  King  of  Prussia  be  brought 
forward.  Bismarck  knew  that  King  William  was  tender- 
hearted, and,  tempted  by  the  disaster  that  had  come  to  Na- 
poleon, would  in  consequence  be  inclined  to  deal  leniently 
with  the  Emperor. 

If  Bismarck,  setting  his  iron  jaws  hard,  determined  then  and 
there  to  keep  the  Prussian  King  out  of  it  till  the  terms  of 
peace  had  been  arranged. 

If  Come,  come,  are  we  not  justified  in  our  character  study  of 
Bismarck?  Who  now  is  master,  who  now  servant?  Who 
now  is  shown  to  be  the  real  power  behind  the  throne?  And 
if  Bismarck  did  not  actually  bring  on  this  awful  war,  then 
he  well  knew  the  art  of  making  other  nations  declare  war. 
Oh,  he  has  learned  a  thing  or  two  in  his  long  and  eventful 
life;  and  he  is  now  about  to  create  his  diplomatic  master- 
piece— in  the  Belgian  weaver's  hut. 

r.       x       H 

If  Sedan  surrendered  40  generals,  2,825  various  other  officers, 
83,000  prisoners  of  war,  184  pieces  of  artillery,  350  field  guns, 
70  Mitrailleuses,  12,000  horses,  and  enormous  quantities  of 
military  stores. 

If  The  broken-hearted  Emperor  was  sent  away  to  the  castle 
at  Wilhelmshoehe,  near  Cassel. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      215 

And  the  King  of  Prussia  opened  the  champagne  at  his  royal 
headquarters  at  Vendresse,  and  toasted  von  Roon,  Moltke 
and  Bismarck:  "You,  General  von  Roon,  whetted  our  sword; 
you  General  von  Moltke,  wielded  it;  and  you,  Count  Bismarck, 
have  brought  Prussia  to  its  present  prominence  by  the  way 
in  which  you  have  directed  its  policy  for  several  years." 


60 

In  which  Bismarck  reaches  the  zenith  of  his  stupen- 
dous career;  diplomatist,  ministerial  Caesar,  unifier 
of  his  country. 

fl  The  Iron  Chancellor  held  firmly  to  his  plan  to  strip  France 
of  her  last  franc. 

The  siege  of  Paris  continued,  with  Bismarck  and  the  King 
of  Prussia  installed  at  Versailles,  within  the  shadow  of  the 
stately  palace  of  the  Kings  of  France. 

H     H     B 

U  It  is  a  long,  vivid  story  leading  to  the  5,000,000,000  francs 
indemnity,  and  the  cessation  of  Alsace-Lorraine. 
M.  Thiers  treated  in  vain  to  get  softer  terms;  but  Bismarck 
kept  the  King  out  of  it  and  stuck  to  his  hard  bargaining. 
11  "This  is  not  war,  it  is  confiscation!"  Thiers  exclaimed  one 
day  in  terrible  anger,  and  eloquently  he  parleyed  to  have  the 
amount  reduced. 

1f  Bismarck  thereupon  began  to  talk  in  German! 
fi  "I  have  not  enough  French  to  answer  such  a  charge  as  you 
have  just  made!"  he  thundered.     "Henceforth,  we  carry  on 
our  affairs  in  German." 

fl  M.  Thiers  threatened  to  appeal  to  Europe  to  intervene,  but 
at  this  Bismarck  broke  into  a  hoarse  laugh. 
He  knew  that  he  had  in  his  pocket  a  secret  quit-claim  from 
Russia  and  Italy,  Denmark  and  Belgium  were  tied  in  another 
way,  Spain  was  hostile  to  the  French,  and  as  for  England- 
he  snapped  his  fingers! 

If  "Defy  me,  and  I  tell  you  what  I  will  do!  We  have  in  Ger- 
many about  100,000  excellent  French  troops,  captured  at 
Metz,  who  are  still  wholly  devoted  to  the  old  Imperial  cause. 


2i6  Blood    and    Iron 

I  will  release  them  and  bring  back  the  Bonapartists !  I  care 
not  who  is  in  power  so  long  as  the  proper  sovereign  govern- 
ment of  France  signs  our  peace  demands  for  indemnity. 
Napoleon  cannot  do  it,  as  his  throne  is  in  ruins;  and  even 
if  he  did,  the  next  party  in  power  would  probably  set  it 
aside.  So  part  of  my  duty  is  not  only  to  demand  for  my 
King  the  just  rewards  of  our  victory,  but  to  start  France 
again  with  some  new  form  of  government." 
T|  Going  behind  this  stern  diplomatic  language,  what  Bis- 
marck really  meant  was  this:  "The  longer  the  French  As- 
sembly hesitates  to  call  an  election  the  more  we  will  starve 
the  city  into  submission.  Live  on  horseflesh,  stale  bread, 
cats  and  dogs! — die  of  fever  and  pestilence! — the  sooner  it 
is  over!  Our  siege  guns  will  continue  to  bark  night 
and  day,  Paris  will  be  reduced  to  ashes,  crumble  to  ruins, 
but  the  demands  of  the  Prussian  King  must  be  obeyed. 
No  power  on  this  earth  can  turn  me  from  my  project.  I  am 
resolved  to  wage  a  war  of  extermination — and  I  have 
spoken!" 

If  "Very  well,  then!"  exclaimed  M.  Thiers,  "M.  le  Comte,  as 
you  will!  Rob  us  of  our  homes! — provinces! — burn  down  our 
homes! — strangle  our  peaceful  inhabitants! — in  a  word,  com- 
plete your  work!  We  shall  fight  you  as  long  as  our  breath 
remains.  Perhaps  we  shall  die — but  we  shall  never  be  dis- 
honored." 

fi  Bismarck  seemed  touched,  but  said  all  he  had  to  do  was  to 
obey  the  orders  of  the  King. 

Meantime  he  went  out  and  was  closeted  again  with  Moltke 
and  His  Majesty. 

U  "I  do  not  believe,"  said  M.  Favre,  "that  any  criminal  ever 
waited  for  the  judgment  with  more  feverish  anxiety.  Motion- 
less, we  followed  with  bewildered  gaze  the  hands  of  the 
clock. 

fi'The  door  opened;   Bismarck  stood  on  the  threshold,  an- 
nouncing that  he  would  not  insist  on  the  German  troops  en- 
tering Paris — provided  we  gave  up  Belfort! 
'[  "There  was  a  moment  of  inexpressible  agony,  but  an  ex- 
change of  glances  sufficed.     'We  should  be  wanting  in  pa- 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      217 

triotism  if  we  accepted!'  exclaimed  M.  Thiers.  The  door 
closed  and  Bismarck  disappeared  again. 
H  "At  eight  o'clock,  M.  Thiers  had  reaped  the  reward  of  his 
heroic  endeavors.  He  had  saved  Belfort,  but  in  all  other 
respects  he  had  absolutely  failed  to  move  the  man  of  blood 
and  iron.  For  five  fearful  days  they  had  wrestled  with  the 
problem  of  the  5,000,000,000— and  had  lost!  Bismarck  had 
his  own  banker,  the  Jew  Bleichroeder,  to  show  that  after  all 
the  indemnity  would  be  adding  'only  about  one-fourth'  to 
France's  national  debt." 

flOn  Sunday,  February  26,  the  preliminaries  of  peace  were 
signed.  As  Thiers  signed,  Bismarck  took  him  by  the  hand, 
saying,  "You  are  the  last  who  ought  to  have  been  burdened 
by  France  with  this  sorrow — for  of  all  Frenchmen  you  have 
the  least  deserved  it!" 

If  Bismarck,  radiant  with  joy,  signed  the  papers  with  a  new 
golden  pen  sent  him  for  this  express  purpose  by  the  ladies 
of  the  German  town  of  Pforsheim. 


U  Said  M.  Favre :  "The  countenance  of  M.  de  Bismarck  was 
most  happy.  With  theatrical  pomp,  he  sent  for  a  golden  pen. 
.  .  .  M.  Thiers  approached  the  little  table  on  which  lay 
the  documents;  he  wrote  his  name  without  betraying  the  feel- 
ings that  tortured  him.  I  tried  to  imitate  him,  and  we  with- 
drew. The  sacrifice  was  accomplished. 
fl  "As  a  special  understanding,  it  was  agreed  that  the  siege 
should  be  lifted  that  morning  at  four  o'clock  and  that  France 
should  fire  the  last  shot. 

fi"What  sentiment  in  this,  for  Paris!  Along  then,  in  the 
deep  night  that  precedes  the  dawn,  with  the  sky  illuminated 
by  occasional  flashes  of  the  siege  guns,  at  last  the  fire  les- 
sened, slackened  gradually,  and  then  solemn  silence  fell.  Sud- 
denly, through  the  night,  a  loud  report  was  heard  from  the 
Paris  ramparts,  followed  by  a  path  of  fire  through  the  sky; 
this  immediately  died  away,  and  deep  silence,  now  unbroken, 
continued. 

U  "The  long  siege  was  over!" 
fl  On  the  third  day  after  signing  the  hard  conditions,  30,000 


218  Blood    and   Iron 

German  troops  made  their  triumphal  entry  into  Paris,  after 

being  reviewed  on  the  plain  of  Longchamps. 

With  the  victorious  Prussians,  Bismarck  rode  as  far  as  the 

Arc  de  Triomphe. 

U  It  was  one  of  the  greatest  incidents  of  his  eventful  life. 

•  '•    • 

We  have  transposed  to  the  last  an  episode  that  took  place 
January  18th,  1871,  the  anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  the 
first  King  of  Prussia  had  himself  crowned  at  Koenigsberg, 
1701. 

In  the  Hall  of  Mirrors,  at  Versailles,  King  William  I  of 
Prussia  was  crowned  German  Emperor,  amidst  a  clash  of 
arms,  martial  music,  hymns  of  praise,  and  the  felicitations  of 
a  brilliant  throng. 

In  the  semi-circle  stood  princes,  grand  dukes,  dukes,  crown 
princes,  hereditary  princes,  generals,  ministers,  military  and 
political  figures,  against  a  background  of  Prussian  hussars. 
fl  The  Hall  of  Mirrors  at  Versailles  had  seen  many  astonish- 
ing sights  in  the  centuries  gone  by;  and  doubtless  that  night 
the  shades  of  Richelieu,  Louis  XIV,  Napoleon,  Marie  Antoi- 
nette, Marie  Theresa,  Madam  Pompadour,  looked  down  on  one 
of  the  strangest  incidents  in  all  history,  a  German  Emperor 
receiving  his  crown  in  the  very  palace  of  the  old  French 
kings,  who  in  their  turn,  had  waged  some  twenty  hard  wars 
upon  Germany,  and  more  than  once  had  placed  some  part  of 
German  soil  in  pawn.  Who  read  the  proclamation  to  the 
assembled  company  expressing  the  new  dignity  of  the  sov- 
ereign over  United  Germany? 

fl  The  Man  of  Blood  and  Iron,  Otto  von  Bismarck,  at  last  had 
demonstrated  the  dream  of  his  life,  that  is  to  say,  he  had 
in  truth  not  only  long  been  King's  Man,  but  also  long  had 
upheld  the  King  his  master;  had  unified  Germany; — and  now 
had  made  his  master  more  than  king,  as  William  I,  German 
Emperor. 

ff  Bismarck's  life  work  was  now  practically  over;  however,  he 
was  a  busy  man  for  twenty  years  to  come,  trying  to  settle 
Germany's  perplexing  internal  problems;  but  in  the  Hall 
of  Mirrors  at  Versailles  he  reached  the  zenith  of  his  stupen- 
dous career  as  unifier  of  his  country. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      219 

U  In  this  magnificent  state  apartment  of  Louis  XIV  are  sev- 
enteen arcades  of  looking-glass,  corresponding  to  the  seven- 
teen large  windows;  the  ceiling  by  Lebrun  shows  thirty  inci- 
dents in  the  life  of  Louis  the  Magnificent,  each  painting  bor- 
dered by  rich  gilded  sculptures. 

The  entire  gallery  is  decorated  with  marbles  and  grand 
trophies  of  gilded  copper,  by  Coysevox. 

In  Louis's  time,  the  gallery  was  hung  in  white  damask  bro- 
caded with  gold;  there  were  orange  trees  in  rare  boxes;  the 
great  central  chandelier  of  gilded  silver  was  by  famous 
smiths;  priceless  Savonnerie  carpets  muffled  the  lightest  foot- 
fall; round  about  were  silver  stools,  with  green  velvet  cover- 
ings surrounded  by  bands  of  gold  brocade.  Later,  the  silver 
was  melted  down,  on  Louis's  order,  and  the  money  squan- 
dered. 

U  These  great  artists  worked  in  the  Hall  of  Mirrors  and 
neighboring  apartments:  Berain,  Monsart,  Lebrun,  Lenotre, 
Grissey,  Vigarani,  Audran,  Baptiste,  Coustau,  Coypel,  Van 
Cleve,  Taffieri,  Taupin,  Tempore,  Temporiti,  numbering 
among  them  painters,  sculptors,  designers,  architects,  wood 
carvers,  silversmiths  and  lockmakers  extraordinary. 
fl  Here,  Louis,  surrounded  by  some  1,500  flatterers  of  all 
degree,  high  and  low,  kept  his  court  of  pleasure  bestowing 
ribbons,  favors,  dinners,  golden  swords  for  the  men,  diamond 
necklaces  for  the  women. 

U  However,  1789  ended  all  that;  the  mob  stormed  into  im- 
perial chambers  and  through  the  apartments  of  the  old  aris- 
tocratic French  courtesans;  and  with  clubs,  axes  and  fires 
laid  in  ruin  art  treasures  that  stood  unmatched  through 
centuries. 

TJTo  this  Versailles  come  now  the  Prussian  soldiers  to  pro- 
claim their  German  Emperor;  in  this  palace,  where  the  Bour- 
bons had  expended  some  200,000,000  francs,  as  money  is 
reckoned  today;  to  say  nothing  of  the  free  labor  of  thousands 
of  convicts. 

No  record  tells  what  Louis  spent  on  the  place,  but  in  August, 
1684,  8,000  horses  and  20,000  convicts  were  working  there, 
and  in  1685  at  one  time  as  many  as  36,000  convicts,  in  charge 
of  soldiers,  added  their  vast  free  labor  to  heighten  the  pe- 


22O  Blood    and    Iron 

culiar  glory  of  the  great  French  monarchs,  as  the  sublime 
representatives  of  kingcraft — in  its  splendor  and  in  its 
downfall. 

•    •    • 

TJA11  hail,  William  I,  German  Emperor!  All  hail,  Bismarck! 
All  hail,  United  Germany! 


CHAPTER  XVI 


61 

The  Kaiser's  crown  at  last,  and  how  and  why;  herein, 
we  sum  up  the  very  flower  of  our  great  man's 
genius;  and  mark  it  well! 

U  The  very  name  "Kaiser"  brings  up  memories  of  the  Middle 

Ages,   thence    backward    to    the    days    of    imperial    Caesar. 

Kaiser,  at  best,  is  but  Caesar,  rewritten. 

Yet  Bismarck  was  at  great  pains  to  make  clear  that  the  sub- 

stitution of  Kaiser  for  King  of  Prussia  involved  no  restora- 

tion of  ancient  imperial  institutions. 

HThe  use  of  Kaiser,  as  the  title  for  the  new  monarch,  had 

behind  it  a  deep,  almost  religious  purpose,  in  conformity  with 

the  sense  of  nationality  and  brotherhood  to  which  through 

long  and  painful  development  the  German  states  had  at  last 

attained.     Bismarck  calls  the  return  of  the  title  "a  political 

necessity,  making  for  unity  and  centralization." 

U  "I  was  convinced,"  he  says,  "that  the  pressure  solidifying 

our  imperial  institutions  would  be  more  permanent  the  more 

the  Prussian  wearer  of  the  imperial  title  should  himself  avoid 

that  dangerous  striving  on  the  part  of  our  dynasty  to  flaunt 

its  own  pre-eminence  in  the  face  of  other  dynasties.     King 

William  I  was  not  free  from  this  inclination    ...    to  call 

forth   a   recognition  of   the   superior   prestige   of  Prussia's 

crown,  over  the  Kaiser's  title." 

TJThe  Kaiser  idea  is  simple:  He  is  the  sworn  servant  "of" 

the  people,  but  his  terms  are  his  own,  viz.,  all  is  "for"  the 

people,  but  not  "through"  the  people. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      221 

Such  in  a  few  words  is  the  Bismarckian  conception  of  a 
strong  ruler. 

B    8    • 

II  It  was  not,  then,  to  be  "an  expanded  Prussia,"  but  a  Ger- 
man Empire.  And  the  Kaiser's  powers  are  hence  the  legal 
functions  of  an  imperial  organ,  attached  by  the  organic  law 
of  the  Empire  to  the  Prussian  crown. 

Thus  Germany  is  a  true  state,  but  not  a  monarchy;  sov- 
ereignty does  not  rest  with  the  Kaiser,  but  with  the  totality 
of  the  allied  governments.  And  in  turn  the  old  states  became 
provinces  of  the  Empire;  and  the  Kaiser  exercises  his  powers 
in  the  name  of  the  Empire. 

SHU 

If  However,  it  must  be  recalled  that  Bismarck  always  de- 
tested political  and  social  conformity,  trampled  conformity 
under  foot,  and  with  wild  voice  ridiculed  conformity — 
especially  when  conformity  meant  to  yield  to  the  peasants 
a  constructive  share  in  the  governments  of  the  thirty-nine 
clashing  German  states.  That  is  to  say,  his  idea  of  freedom 
was  to  make  the  State  paramount,  guiding,  directing  and  if 
need  be  disciplining  the  people. 

If  Memories  fasten  themselves  on  us,  at  this  moment,  mem- 
ories of  the  old  days  of  struggle  for  nationality. 
It  was  on  Bismarck's  advice  that,  although  Frederick  William 
IV  was  bitten  by  the  ambition  to  become  ruler  of  United 
Germany,  yet  when  the  democratic  Frankfort  Diet  offered 
him  the  crown,  he  did  indignantly  refuse;  and  many  years 
later,  his  successor — that  old  man  with  the  wonderful  his- 
tory!— William  I,  after  the  victories  of  Sedan  and  Grave- 
lotte,  was  mightily  afraid  that  the  Berlin  Parliament,  rep- 
resenting democratic  conformity,  would  offer  him  the  honor 
of  Emperor  before  that  gift  could  be  bestowed  by  the  princes 
themselves. 

fl  Ludwig  of  Bavaria  in  his  letter  to  William,  urging  the  im- 
perial title,  Kaiser,  or  German  Emperor,  uses  these  words: 
"I  have  proposed  to  the  German  princes  to  join  me  in  urging 
Your  Majesty  to  assume  the  title,  German  Emperor,  in  con- 
nection with  the  exercise  of  the  prsedial  rights  of  the  Fed- 
eration." But  it  was  Bismarck's  masterpiece  of  politics,  equal 


222  Blood    and    Iron 

to  his  stroke  of  Holstein,  that  sent  to  the  King  of  Bavaria 
the  proper  diplomatic  advices,  to  be  acted  upon  by  the  South 
German  princes  and  returned  to  the  supposedly  surprised 
William,  urging  on  him  to  become  German  Emperor. 

•    •    • 

filn  spite  of  Bismarck's  fine  hand,  Bavaria  at  first  refused 
to  accept  the  Iron  Chancellor's  advices.  There  is  light  on 
this  topic  in  Herr  Ottokar  Lorenz's  "Foundation  of  the  Ger- 
man Empire,"  making  clear  among  other  facts  that  "the  Ger- 
man eagle  had  a  narrow  escape  from  dying  in  the  egg." 
Twice  negotiations  were  broken  oif;  finally,  when  the  King 
of  Bavaria  tried  to  get  his  countrymen  behind  him  in  the 
plan  to  proclaim  William  of  Prussia,  German  Emperor,  at 
Versailles,  "it  was  only  after  some  hesitation  and  much 
regret." 

It  took  the  Bavarian  Landtag  a  month  to  make  up  its  mind! 
To  read  the  heated  discussions  is  to  destroy  the  legend  that 
the  proclamation  of  the  Kaiser  was  by  spontaneous  demand. 
fl  But  we  must  not  press  these  things  too  far.  The  fact  that 
King  William  had  to  fight  for  the  magnificent  honor  he  had 
won  for  himself  and  his  country,  is  merely  to  say  that  men 
are  men;  nor  should  we  ever  forget  that  nothing  creates  so 
much  jealousy  as  prosperity. 

U  Herr  Bismarck  had  the  cleverness  to  win,  at  last,  and  after 
that  there  is  little  to  be  added. 

For  that  matter,  the  much-lauded  revolt  of  the  American 
colonists  against  Britain  was  originally  not  endorsed  by  over 
one-third  of  the  inhabitants.  Yet,  with  the  final  victory, 
like  a  pack  the  colonists  went  over  to  the  winning  side,  say- 
ing, "We  told  you  so." 

1f  We  have  nothing  but  praise  for  the  way  in  which  Bismarck 
created  his  Versailles  masterpiece.  That  there  was  a  political 
squabble  behind  the  curtain,  in  Bavaria,  was  to  be  expected. 
11  Tell  me,  did  you  ever  achieve  any  success  that  you  did  not 
have  to  go  out  and  fight  for? 

It  is  an  amiable  fiction  that  men  "recognize"  each  other's 
work,  in  politics,  and  "urge"  on  them  rulership  over  nations. 
They,  too,  have  to  get  out  and  fight  for  it! 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      223 

II  This  necessity  for  turbulent  striving  to  carry  out  political 
ideas  was  especially  true  of  Germany  during  the  period 
of  which  we  write.  Complex  conditions  long  made  National 
Unity  a  profound  problem,  not  only  in  politics  but  in  human 
nature. 

II  All  manner  of  blacklegs  were  at  work  with  here  and  there 
an  honest  man;  national  oratory  was  at  once  visionary, 
ludicrous  and  tragical;  fanatics  of  the  bomb,  the  knife  and  the 
poison-cup  for  years  were  abroad  in  the  land.  These  situa- 
tions, growing  from  times  past,  compel  you  to  hold  with 
Bismarck  that  ultimate  appeal  to  the  sword  was  after  all 
the  only  hope  for  a  new  Germany. 

fl  Bismarck  did  it  grossly,  but  at  least  he  went  through  with 
it — call  it  militarism  or  what  you  please. 
H  For  that  matter,  neither  Britain,  France,  Belgium,  (nor 
the  United  States  with  her  186-odd  variants  of  Christianity 
in  her  186-odd  religious  sects),  grew  out  of  political 
cynicism,  least  of  all  out  of  some  aloof  system  of  esoteric 
idealism. 

II  The  King  of  Britain  owes  his  crown  to  the  sword;  the  Presi- 
dent of  France  his  high  office  to  the  sword;  the  Belgian  King 
traces  his  legitimacy  to  revolution;   likewise,  to  revolution 
the  President  of  the  United  States  owes  his  right  to  rule 
during  his  brief  hour  of  official  authority. 
IT  But  what  would  you  in  this  imperfect  world  ? 
German  Unity  sprang  from  the  needs  of  human  hearts — 
fighting  bravely  for  what  they  hold  important! — even  as  you 
fight  for  your  rights,  or  consent  to  remain  a  slave.    And  Ger- 
mans never  will  be  slaves. 

H  Therefore,  know  it  now  and  be  done  with  it,  or  make  the 
most  of  it  if  you  are  inclined  to  snarl  at  realities:  The 
Kaiser's  crown  came  by  the  sword.  Surely,  you  did  not  ex- 
pect that  it  fell  from  Heaven?  As  long  as  men  are  men, 
they  must  fight  for  what  they  achieve;  and  the  German 
Empire  is  no  exception; — nor  is  there  any  good  reason  to 
expect  that  history  can  possibly  be  other  than  the  record  of 
human  nature,  in  action. 

U  Up  to  his  downfall  in  1890,  Bismarck  was  an  uncompromis- 
ing Royalist,  scoffed  at  the  common  people  as  a  source  of 
political  sovereignty. 


224  Blood   and   Iron 

If  No  man  knows  what  is,  ultimately,  for  the  glory  of  God; 
but  when  in  bitter  retirement,  thrown  off  by  the  grandson 
of  William  I,  Bismarck,  replying  to  the  old  dispute  about 
the  interior  causes  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  to  which 
William  owes  his  title  German  Emperor,  it  is  a  fact  that 
Bismarck  proceeded  to  weaken  the  royalist  tradition  by  forc- 
ing the  government  to  produce  the  Ems  dispatch;  and  it  was 
then  made  clear  to  the  common  people  that  there  was  behind 
it  all  the  under-play  of  politics,  thus  dispelling  the  religious 
and  patriotic  glamour  that  the  war  had  been  entered  upon  to 
protect  the  Fatherland  against  the  land-lust  of  Napoleon 
the  Little. 

Had  now  the  military  right  been  used  not  to  express  the  will 
of  God,  but  the  ends  of  human  expediency? 
fl  Bismarck  certainly  knew  all  this  before  the  great  war,  but 
for  reasons  of  political  expediency  suppressed  the  facts  till 
in  a  moment  of  indignation  he  dropped  the  mask  and  called 
on  all  honest  men  to  know  the  truth. 

Bismarck,  twenty  years  before,  had  with  equal  indignation 
set  up  before  the  Prussians  that  their  King  had  been  grossly 
insulted,  and  that  Napoleon  wanted  the  left  bank  of  the 
Rhine. 

!I  But  let  us  forget  all  this,  in  a  broad  acknowledgment  of 
the  fact  that  human  beings  at  various  times,  for  their  own 
ends,  do  indeed  wear  various  masks;  and  let  us  not  keep  up 
the  fight  forevermore; — but  here  and  now  let  us  grant  to 
Bismarck  final  absolution,  not  claiming  for  him  the  perfection 
of  the  demigod. 

fl  After  all  is  said,  history  is  not  the  record  of  some  far-off 
manifest  destiny,  but  instead  is  merely  the  sordid  story  of 
human  nature  in  action,  reciting  at  best  the  littleness  that 
appertains  to  men's  ways,  with  now  and  then  the  unrealized 
expression  of  some  fleeting  larger  hope. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      225 


62 

His  Versailles  masterpiece  reduced  to  its  final  analy- 
sis, in  terms  of  human  nature;  wherein  it  is  made 
clear  that  Bismarck  knew  his  German  peasant  as 
well  as  his  Prussian  King. 

fl  The  core  of  human  interest  around  which  Bismarck  shaped 
his  stupendous  politico-military  drama,  in  order  that,  in  the 
end,  William  might  become  German  Emperor,  was  neither  an 
appeal  to  parliaments  nor  to  armies,  but  a  reply  to  a  peculiar 
psychological  something  in  the  Teuton  character  that  makes 
respect  for  the  strong  hand. 

It  is  only  in  the  largest  way  that  this  fact  may  be  made 
clear.  It  escapes  categorical  statement; — and  can  best  be 
glimpsed  behind  the  history  of  events,  from  the  psychological 
rather  than  the  physical  side. 

fl  Bismarck  manipulated  an  invisible  but  very  real  human 
force,  made  it  the  breath  of  life  for  his  plans! 
fi  That  he  warped  on  the  Nineteenth  Century  the  old  Holy 
Roman   Empire   conception   of   Divine-right   is   an  amazing 
politico-military  fact. 

It  was  only  after  many  brilliant  achievements  that,  at  the 
height  of  his  power,  C»sar  linked  himself  with  the  gods. 
Csesar's  earlier  life  knew  no  such  pretensions,  but  as  he 
climbed  the  dizzy  heights  of  fame,  at  last  the  day  came 
when  his  kinship  with  the  immortal  gods  themselves  alone 
satisfied  his  inordinate  ambitions;  and  from  that  time  forth 
Divine-right  became  an  established  fact  in  the  theological- 
political  code  of  kings;  and  thus  on,  down  through  the 
Middle  Ages,  until  the  French  Revolution  destroyed  confidence 
in  the  old-line  absolute  monarch,  as  vicegerent  of  Christ  on 
this  earth. 

HUH 

fl  However,  that  Otto  von  Bismarck,  the  blond  Pomeranian 
giant,  warped  on  the  Nineteenth  Century  the  Imperial 
Caesarian  idea  of  the  Divine-right  of  kings  is  not  the  final 
fact  of  his  work.  The  inner  fact  is  that  he  urged  the  King's 
authority  as  a  foil  against  the  mob-idea  of  the  French  Revo- 


226  Blood    and    Iron 

lution.  The  liberty-crazed  masses  needed  a  strong  hand  at 
this  time. 

If  What  made  possible  the  coming  of  the  Empire  was  not, 
after  all,  traceable  entirely  to  the  political  side  of  Bismarck's 
hotly  contested  struggles. 

The  innate  craving  of  the  German  people  for  a  strong  ruler 
has  a  subtle  inner  meaning,  too  easily  overlooked. 
If  In  the  final  analysis,  Bismarck's  position  expresses  Prus- 
sian sense  of  National  security  in  a  powerful  war  lord,  rather 
than  supports  the  conception  of  master  and  man.  His  was 
not  the  position  of  lord  and  servant;  rather  it  means  a  manly, 
intelligent  admission  of  the  necessity  of  a  strong  central 
authority  in  the  nation. 

If  By  the  force  of  years  of  tedious  repetitions,  building  on  the 
plain  laws  of  mental  suggestion,  Bismarck  at  last  created 
certain  dominating  ideas;  but  the  germ  of  these  ideas  already 
existed  in  Prussia's  consciousness. 

The  Prussian  character  supporting  Divine-right  represents 
a  singular  compound  of  cadet,  blind  confidence  in  aristocratic 
leadership,  religious  radicalism,  worship  of  ancestors  approx- 
imating the  Chinese  sentiment,  and  finally,  a  racial  psychol- 
ogy of  rulership,  based  on  the  rattan  of  Frederick  the  Great. 
On  this  total  combination,  the  astute  Bismarck  played  for 
thirty  long  years,  warring  for  his  lord  and  master,  the  Hohen- 
zollerns. 

A  careful  reading  of  Bismarck's  speeches,  letters,  dispatches, 
will  show  that  whatever  political  expediency  he  may  at  vari- 
ous times  have  followed,  and  however  often  he  may  have 
changed  front,  there  is  still  in  his  great  labor  a  tireless  repe- 
tition of  ideas  commanding  respect  for  vested  authority,  for 
ancestry,  for  a  ruling  class  as  against  the  ruled,  and  always 
for  absolute  dog-like  obedience  to  some  central  commanding 
power. 

B    •   fl 

fi  The  psychological  something  on  Avhich  Bismarck  builded  h'S 
German  Empire  is  Bismarck's  recognition  of  the  peculiarities 
of  his  German  peasant,  as  well  as  of  his  Prussian  King.    We 
come  now  to  some  great  central  racial  facts. 
Bismarck's  unending  eulogies  of  military  glory,  now  extolled 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      227 

in  the  high  language  of  a  victorious  commander-in-chief, 
again  as  a  drill-sergeant  sharply  criticising  the  squad,  are 
not  to  be  dismissed  as  the  expressions  of  one  in  large  au- 
thority, speaking  from  the  steps  of  the  throne. 
Bismarck's  work  would  have  failed  had  he  not  linked  it  to 
some  secret  craving  of  the  Teutonic  heart,  far  deeper  than 
conquering  the  jealousies,  intrigues  and  selfishness  that  com- 
pose the  long  story  of  the  rise  of  the  German  Empire. 
If  Historians  may  talk  as  much  as  they  please  about  Bis- 
marck's executive  and  administrative  genius,  but  these,  great 
as  they  are,  are  overshadowed  by  his  power  of  political  spirit- 
healing,  as  it  were;  through  practice  of  his  peculiar  psycho- 
therapy he  cured  sick  Germany  of  many  of  her  ills;  at  the 
same  time  bringing  about  German  brotherhood  in  a  way  that 
added  to  the  great  glory  of  Prussia. 

If  Appealing  to  the  solemn  religious  side  of  Prussian  char- 
acter that  expresses  itself  in  upholding  authority,  in  church 
or  state,  Bismarck  incessantly  lauds  the  descendants  of  noble 
families,  and  sets  up  that  Prussian  military  aristocracy  alone 
reared  up  Prussian  political  legitimacy. 

He  presents  likewise  the  idea  that  the  supreme  quality  of 
German  manhood  is  courage;  and  to  Bismarck's  mind  the 
sovereign  German  virtue  is  revealed  in  strong-willed  eager 
soldiers. 

While  in  these  lofty  moods,  Bismarck  displays  enormous 
family  pride  for  his  beloved  aristocrats  of  Brandenburg,  is 
never  weary  of  telling  of  their  military  prowess. 
He  avows  on  many  occasions  his  life-long  regret  that  he  did 
not  enter  the  army  as  a  career,  instead  of  taking  up  the  civil 
service;  he  digs  into  his  family  records  and  proudly  numbers 
each  Bismarck  who  carried  arms,  even  down  to  distant 
cousins,  and  is  never  so  happy  as  when  telling  of  Bismarcks 
on  many  blood -drenched  fields. 

Above  all  else,  he  everlastingly  insists  that  behind  his  de- 
mands for  his  King  is  the  direct  will  of  God. 
If  There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  as  time  passed  and  Bis- 
marck kept  telling  over  and  over  for  years  that  the  King 
represented  God's  will  on  this  earth,  true  Prussians  came  at 
last  to  believe  it  more  and  more;  for  the  reason  that  it  wap 


228  Blood   and    Iron 

in  their  blood  to  believe,  as  it  is  the  nature  of  a  bull-dog  to 
fight,  a  glutton  to  eat,  a  thief  to  steal,  the  sun  to  shine. 

31     H    H 

If  Bismarck  called  on  heaven  to  send  its  avenging  lightnings 
on  the  heads  of  those  who  deserted  their  monarch,  to  their 
perpetual  dishonor;  could  think  of  no  crime  more  monstrous 
than  ingratitude  to  his  King,  especially  to  a  king  by  the 
grace  of  God. 

And  Bismarck  declared  again  and  again,  as  his  deepest  con- 
viction, that  the  Prussian  crown  was  encircled  by  a  heavenly 
aureole.  In  short,  Bismarck  revived  in  its  purest  and  most 
uncompromising  form  the  doctrine  of  Divine-right. 
If  In  an  age  seemingly  out  of  touch  with  this  iron-bound  mold 
of  the  Feudal  past,  Bismarck  would  have  failed  miserably 
were  it  not  that  he  touched  a  responsive  side  of  Prussian 
character — dog-like  loyalty  to  authority,  compounded  of  mili- 
tary glory  and  a  pale  shimmering  ghost  of  religious  aspi- 
ration. 

The  governing  fact  of  the  whole  situation  was  psychological 
rather  than  physical;  and  all  this  stupendous  cannonading  at 
Gravelotte,  Sedan,  Koeniggraetz,  and  the  magnificent  drama 
in  the  Hall  of  Mirrors,  were  after  all  merely  so  many  evi- 
dences that  Bismarck  better  than  all  the  tribe  of  his  objectors 
knew  the  psychological  core  of  Prussian  character. 
fl  Bismarck  brought  down  the  wrath  of  God  on  those  rival 
leaders  who  dared  to  be  disloyal  to  his  Divine-right  King,  and 
flew  into  frenzy  at  the  very  thought  that  a  genuine  Prussian 
should  expect  wisdom  from  the  common  people.  Behind  all 
this,  was  always  the  solid  appeal  to  Prussian  military-cadet 
idea  of  loyalty  and  strong  politico-religious  instincts. 
fi  Manipulating  this  psychological  side,  invisible  yet  very  real, 
Bismarck  shows  his  genius  as  a  constructive  statesman. 
Without  this  intuitive  touch  of  Prussian  consciousness,  all  the 
lustre  that  Bismarck  ultimately  shed  on  the  Imperial  crown 
would  have  been  impossible. 

If  Thus,  we  behold  Otto  von  Bismarck,  the  rude,  blond, 
Pomeranian  giant — in  spite  of  his  coarse  speeches,  his 
brawls,  his  political  card-stacking,  his  enormous  egotism,  his 
passionate  seeking  after  power — play  with  Shakespearian 
subtlety  on  the  strings  of  human  passion. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      229 

There  is  no  larger  character-side  to  our  Bismarck;  so  study 
it  well  and  reflect  on  its  wide  meaning. 


If  We  are  not  here  to  say  what  Bismarck  should  or  should 
not  have  done,  but  we  make  up  our  mind  about  him  by  what 
he  did  do. 

If  He  had  peculiar  ideas  of  religion,  pleasure,  duty,  and  cer- 
tainly he  had  his  own  idea  of  what  was  best  for  Prussia, 
and  finally  for  Germany. 

If  He  bartered  his  immortal  time  for  a  King's  crown  and  an 
Emperor's  glory,  guns,  swords,  forts,  marchings  up  and  down 
the  land. 

If  He  bartered  his  time  in  angry  disputes  with  his  fellow- 
man,  for  prisons,  broken  homes,  murders,  tears  for  80,000 
widows  and  orphans. 

If  He  bartered  his  time  for  magnificent  spectacles  such  as  the 
coronation  of  William  I  in  the  Hall  of  Mirrors  at  Versailles, 
a  palace  outrivaling  any  creation  of  man  since  the  days  of 
Nebuchadnezzar. 

If  He  bartered  his  time  for  grand  balls  for  aristocrats  in  silk 
coats  and  ladies  in  diamonds  and  satin  gowns. 
If  He  bartered  his  time  that  a  certain  space  in  Europe  b« 
made  over  to  his  own  liking.  Other  kings  and  emperors  with 
equal  logic  wished  to  have  this  space  made  over  in  a  way 
that  seemed  as  good  as  the  one  Bismarck  had  in  mind,  but 
Bismarck  regarding  it  as  a  calamity  that  other  plans  should 
come  to  pass,  fought  bitterly  with  sword  and  cannon  to  back 
his  individual  opinion  against  all  who  disputed  with  him. 
If  He  bartered  his  time  that  a  certain  part  of  the  map  be 
marked  with  one  name  instead  of  thirty-nine  names,  as  had 
been  the  case  when  he  came  to  power  as  a  young  man  in 
the  politics  of  Prussia. 

If  And  finally  he  bartered  his  immortal  time  in  a  thirty-years' 
gladiatorial  fight  that  in  the  end  millions  of  Germans  might 
feel  the  tingle  of  blood-brotherhood.  How  he  faced  the  long, 
heart-breaking  battle,  therein  we  find  the  true  measure  of 
our  great  Bismarck!  Thus  his  work,  as  an  individual,  is 
absorbed  in  the  larger  life  of  the  German  Empire.  Thete 


230  Blood    and    Iron 

National  services  make  Bismarck  one  of  the  immortals;  and 
his  name  will  be  remembered  affectionately  by  German*  for 
thousands  of  years. 

•    •    • 

II  The  present  review  of  German  origins,  through  Bismarck- 
ian  genius,  is  concerned  largely  with  the  form  of  government 
established. 

The  collective  efficiency  of  the  Bismarckian  idea,  as  worked 
out  in  the  German  Constitution,  promptly  ascertains  the  will 
of  the  people,  and  carries  out  that  will. 

If  The  Kaiser,  through  the  Chancellor,  has  the  selection  of 
all  important  public  officials,  and  as  King  of  Prussia  appoints 
Prussian  administrative  officials;  and  in  turn,  the  various 
kings  choose  the  various  public  servants  in  their  respective 
kingdoms.  All  hold  office  during  good  behavior,  or  for  life; 
instantly  responsive  to  the  will  of  the  Kaiser,  or  to  the  Bun- 
desrath.  The  state  officials  are  thus  "the  fingers  of  the 
Kaiser,"  working  the  duties  of  the  Empire,  free  from  the 
petty  molestations  that  assail  even  the  most  trustworthy  and 
patriotic  American  office-holders. 

flln  simple  terms  of  parallel,  the  much-lauded  American 
Commission  System,  for  the  government  of  cities,  was  bor- 
rowed from  the  Kaiser. 

The  Commission  System  delegates  the  power  to  a  committee 
of  five,  who  pass  and  execute  the  lawg. 

This  is  precisely  the  principle  laid  down  by  the  Bundesrath, 
in  which  body  is  united  executive,  legislative  and  judicial 
functions.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  cities  most  efficiently  man- 
aged, in  the  United  States  (1915),  are  under  the  Commission 
System,  that  is  to  say,  the  German  conception  of  responsible 
politio-civic  authority. 

U  German  thoroughness,  as  well  as  German  discipline,  unite 
to  make  the  German  system  a  brilliant  success;  but  in  Amer- 
ica the  German  collective  idea  is  politically  offensive  because 
of  our  superstition  that  the  way  of  Liberty  lies  through  in- 
cessant political  changes.  The  American  has  confidence  in 
the  wisdom  of  large  numbers,  believes  that  by  dividing  the 
functions  of  government  the  people  may  be  saved  from  them- 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      231 

selves.  One-man  power  is  (theoretically)  greatly  feared,  in 
America.  Despite  the  fact  that  in  all  great  industrial  under- 
takings Americans  appreciate  the  part  played  by  personal 
responsibility,  they  are  loath  to  admit  that  the  principle 
makes  for  National  political  efficiency. 

HUH 

U  One  final  word:  Revolution  means  change;  and  in  this  sense 
the  French  Revolution  is  important.  In  some  respects,  it  is 
still  going  forward.  However,  in  1848  the  practical  side  of 
the  Revolution  was  not  understood,  was  therefore  decried  by 
conservative  thinkers  who  saw  in  the  excesses  of  the  Com- 
mune little  that  heralded  a  better  day. 
If  In  France,  thousands  of  men  misinterpreted  emotional  zeal 
for  human  brotherhood  for  fitness  to  govern.  It  is  the  old, 
old  story. 

To  come  at  once  to  the  point:  You  must  judge  a  nation  as 
you  do  a  man,  not  by  what  that  man  says,  but  by  what  he 
does.  Hence,  from  Bismarck's  point  of  view,  it  was  time  to 
be  done  with  the  bursting  of  blood  vessels  in  a  frenzy  about 
equality,  and  to  come  down  to  the  essential  facts  of  human 
nature;  or  if  you  like  the  words  better,  human  ways. 
It  is  not  necessarily  a  mark  of  wisdom  to  issue  "manifestoes 
against  special  privileges"  and  to  set  up  that  "all"  the  people 
are  fit  to  rule  an  empire. 

The  very  reverse  is  the  proof  of  history;  few  men  indeed 
there  are  who  have  the  patience,  the  discretion  and  the  pru- 
dence to  rule  over  other  lives. 

Also,  the  German  race  asks  no  upstart  rulers;  the  idea  of 
father  and  child,  duty,  discipline  and  personal  responsibility 
is  deeply  grounded  in  the  German  conception  of  an  adequate 
State. 

•••  •    • 

If  There  is  small  profit  in  using  precious  time  denouncing 
Bismarck's  protest  against  French  Constitutionalism.  Let 
us,  instead,  try  to  understand  why  the  old  ways  were  cher- 
ished. And  always  bear  in  mind  that  the  Past  holds  man- 
kind in  a  tighter  grip  than  the  Radicals  are  willing  to  con- 
cede! There  is  no  such  thing  as  wiping  off  the  slate  and 


232  Blood    and   Iron 

starting  with  a  "new"  set  of  ideas.  The  wisest  man  in  the 
world  cannot  do  that.  At  best,  he  recognizes  the  past,  with 
here  and  there  a  slight  variation. 

Such,  in  short,  was  Bismarck's  broad  and  true  idea  of  human 
necessity.  And  he  planned  his  German  Empire  accordingly. 

SI     M    H 

fl  Bismarck  was  faced  by  these  facts :  the  idiomatic  ways  in 
which  German  people  thought  and  acted;  their  tastes  and 
ideals,  not  only  in  politics  but  in  society,  law,  religion; — nay, 
their  very  dreams.  Throughout,  there  is  always  a  profound 
sense  of  personal  responsibility  to  the  State.  The  State  is 
not  to  be  forgotten  for  some  spurious  personal  individuality. 
And  mark  this:  that  for  generations  "events"  in  Germany  all 
gave  expression  to  certain  racial  habits  of  thought,  against 
which  all  manner  of  Communistic  uprisings  were  anathema. 
German  sense  of  discipline,  duty  and  personal  responsibility, 
in  State  affairs,  is  grounded  on  a  high  consciousness  that  is 
not  satisfied  with  half-measures,  bungling,  waste,  cheap 
politicians,  and  freakish  legislation.  The  German  takes  him- 
self too  seriously  to  permit  a  bunko-politician  to  come  on 
with  faking,  as  a  substitute  for  the  National  ideal  of 
government. 

fl  Hence,  Bismarck's  Imperial  democracy,  with  the  Kaiser 
at  its  head. 

B    H   I 

U  As  between  the  inevitable  contest  between  the  Crowd  and 
the  Crown,  springing  from  the  inflammatory  ideas  of  French 
Constitutionalism,  Bismarck  did  not  shrink;  but  fought  it 
out  in  his  own  way.  Our  Man  of  Blood  and  Iron  desired  the 
blessings  of  liberty  for  Germany  with  all  the  strength  of 
his  powerful  being;  but  he  could  not  stultify  his  common 
sense  by  meekly  conceding  no  essential  distinction  between 
men,  in  their  capacity  for  leadership.  He  was,  then,  intent 
on  bringing  out  of  the  German  political  chaos  a  type  of 
democracy  that  may  be  termed  Imperial  as  well  as  repre- 
sentative, in  which  the  people  are  accorded  their  share,  as 
he  saw  it,  but  always  under  the  guidance  of  a  strong  central 
authority. 


The  German  People  Are  One  and  United      233 

after  all  said  in  glorification  of  any  special  type  of 
government,  the  stubborn  fact  remains  that  absolute  equality, 
from  a  representative  point  of  view,  is  a  fiction  unsupported 
by  fact.  The  notorious  incapacity  and  apathy  of  the  masses 
is  always,  in  the  end,  directed  by  central  powers,  exercised 
insidiously  or  openly  as  you  please,  but  exercised  neverthe- 
less. In  every  political  party  we  find  a  coterie,  men  of  little 
wisdom  it  may  be  but  leaders  of  the  crowd;  in  every  city 
commission  is  always  one  masterful  man  to  whom  the  other 
members  defer;  in  every  banking  house,  one  deciding  voice; 
every  religious  organization  must  have  a  head,  regardless  of 
the  number  of  counsellors;  every  ship  a  captain;  every  army 
a  general;  and,  finally,  in  every  family  there  should  be  the 
guidance  and  direction  of  a  strong  father. 
f  Is  there  not  a  ring  of  sincerity  in  Bismarck's  manly 
acknowledgment  of  the  inevitable  equalities  in  the  human 
stuff  of  which  governments  are  composed?  He  saw  only 
common  sense  in  openly  protesting  that  in  any  German  gov- 
ernment big  enough  and  enduring  enough  to  satisfy  the 
German  conception  of  responsibility,  in  a  word  German 
thoroughness,  there  must  be,  somewhere,  a  master-mind. 
fl  For  many  years,  and  even  today,  Bismarck  is  in  some 
quarters  regarded  as  the  arch-enemy  of  the  common  people, 
but  his  great  work  has  stood  the  acid  test  of  time.  The 
German  Empire,  builded  under  Bismarck's  broad  ideas  may 
be  likened  unto  a  wonderful  watch,  in  which  each  part  does 
its  peculiar  work  without  even  a  gambler's  chance  of  going 
wrong. 


BOOK  THE  SIXTH 
Once  a  Man  and  Twice  a  Child 

CHAPTER  XVII 

uije  Snowfall 

63 

The  secret  discontent  of  the  man  who  believed  him- 
self sole  founder  of  the  German  Empire. 

If  When  the  Kaiser,  on  that  eventful  day  in  March,  1890, 
turned  and  told  the  old  man  to  go,  Bismarck  received  the 
heart-breaking  sentence  without  a  sign  of  protest. 
U  To  a  friend  who  called  he  told  the  news  in  a  calm  voice, 
a  smile  on  his  lips,  congratulating  himself  on  being  able  to 
resume  his  country  life,  of  which  he  was  so  fond,  of  visiting 
again  the  forests  on  his  estates,  and  "belonging  to  himself" 
in  the  few  years  that  were  yet  left. 

If  "111  soon  be  gone,"  he  said,  "and  it  is  time  I  should  take 
a  rest." 

If  The  story  is  long  and  complex,  but  we  will  give  you  the 
large  details,  only.  The  day  comes  when  Bismarck's  old 
friend,  Emperor  William  I,  passes  from  this  earthly  scene; 
his  son,  Frederick  III,  reigns  three  months  and  is  carried 
off  by  cancer  of  the  throat.  The  doom  of  Bismarck  is  now 
sealed!  Emperor  William  I  was  the  firm  foundation  of  Bis- 
marck's strength,  but  the  son  did  not  like  the  Iron  Chancellor, 
and  within  the  three  brief  months  of  power  before  death 
called,  Frederick  III  let  it  be  known  that  Bismarck  was 
marked  for  retirement.  Frederick's  one  act  leveled  against 
the  Bismarck  family-dynasty  was  to  dismiss  von  Puttkam- 
mer,  Minister  of  the  Interior. 

If  Now  enters  William  II,  aged  29,  a  mighty  man  in  the  mak- 
ing, a  sleepless  man,  one  who  in  his  time  was  to  become  the 
standard  by  which  henceforth  all  German  institutions  are  to 

235 


236  Blood   and   Iron 

be  measured.  His  first  address  to  the  army;  his  second,  to 
the  navy;  hig  third,  three  days  later,  to  the  citizens. 
If  Did  he  not  ask  old  von  Moltke  to  resign  ?  Yes,  and  others. 
It  was  not,  as  many  historians  set  up,  that  Emperor  William 
II  was  jealous  of  Bismarck,  nor  was  it  a  case  of  "crabbed 
age  and  youth  cannot  live  together." 

j[  The  Emperor,  with  firm  feeling  in  his  will  to  Imperial 
power,  wishes  to  develop  Germany  along  lines  of  world-wide 
importance.  Bismarck  was  of  the  past;  William  of  the  fu- 
ture. The  blow  fell  March  28th,  1890. 

U  The  world  gave  a  gasp  of  astonishment ;  it  seemed  impos- 
sible that  Bismarck,  the  master-mind  of  United  Germany, 
should  be  unceremoniously  shuffled  out  of  sight. 
Political  writers  the  world  around  become  involved  in  spir- 
ited controversies,  on  the  whole  supporting  the  old  man  and 
denouncing  what  seemed  like  ingratitude  on  the  part  of  the 
new  Emperor.  It  was  pointed  out  that  Bismarck  himself, 
speaking  to  the  Czar,  had  only  a  short  time  before  declared, 
"I  hope  to  die  in  office,  always  a  good  friend  of  Russia." 
Also  that  William  II  had  on  New  Year's  telegraphed  to  Bis- 
marck, "That  I  may  long  be  permitted  to  work  with  you, 
for  the  welfare  and  greatness  of  the  Fatherland!" 


If  If  Bismarck  was  not  made  by  a  King's  breath,  at  least  a 
breath  destroyed  Bismarck's  control  of  the  situation. 
Bismarck  had  long  ruled  the  lives  of  millions;  but  when 
Wm.  II  snapped  his  fingers  and  said  "Finis!"  the  old  Chan- 
cellor had  to  go.  The  loss  of  Bismarck's  influence  was  as 
complete  as  though  instead  of  being  the  foremost  man  of 
his  time  in  the  diplomatic  world,  he  was  instead  only  a  clerk 
discharged  by  his  superior. 


fl  In  listing  the  elements  on  which  Bismarck  builded  there  is 
always  one  often  overlooked,  yet  at  the  very  foundation,  the 
bottom  stone  in  the  wall.  That  one  was  the  favorable  atti- 
tude of  King  William  I.  Without  the  King's  consent,  Bis- 
marck's career  would  have  been  impossible!  Herein,  we  find 


Once   a   Man    and    Twice   a    Child  237 

a  classic  illustration  of  how  interdependent  are  men's  lives; 
what  small  causes  sustain  or  defeat  great  careers. 

•    •    • 

If  But  first  we  wish  to  tell  you  something  of  his  honors  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years,  also  of  the  munificent  patronage  of 
the  Kaiser,  going  far  to  refute  the  libel  that  the  Kaiser  was 
ungrateful.  The  patient  Kaiser  in  truth  dealt  nobly  with 
the  moody  old  man. 

On  the  old  man's  70th  birthday  (1885),  the  people  of  Ger- 
many offered  a  gift  of  $1,350,000,  one-half  of  which  Bismarck 
used  to  repurchase  the  ancestral  estate,  Schoenhausen,  which 
he  had  sold  in  his  impecunious  years;  and  now,  thanks  to  the 
gratitude  of  the  German  nation,  the  old  place,  mightily  en- 
larged and  improved,  passed  again  into  Bismarck's  hands. 
The  other  half  of  the  $1,350,000  Bismarck  set  aside  as  an 
endowment  fund  for  school  teachers. 

If  Even  Victor  Hugo  added  his  hero-worship,  in  this  curious 
letter:  "The  giant  salutes  the  giant!    The  enemy  salutes  the 
enemy!    The  friend  sends  the  greeting  of  a  friend! 
If  "I  hate  you,  cruelly,  for  you  have  humiliated  France;   I 
love  you  because  I  am  greater  than  you. 

If  "You  kept  silence  when  my  eighty  years  sounded  from  the 
belfry  of  my  glory;  but  I  speak  now  because  the  stolen  clock 
which  stands  upon  your  desk,  refuses  to  announce  to  you 
that  your  70th  birthday  has  come. 

If  "If  you  and  I  were  united  in  one  person,  the  history  of  the 
world  would  have  been  ended.  .  .  .  But  you  are  great  be- 
cause you  know  not  what  fear  is.  Therefore,  I,  the  poet, 
offer  my  hand  to  you,  the  great  man." 

If  The  Prince,  thunderstruck,  wrote  in  reply  two  words,  "Otto 
—Adieu!" 

H     B     H 

If  Nor  was  this  afl.  The  Pope  bestowed  upon  Bismarck  the 
Order  of  Christ,  for  ameliorating  the  last  of  certain  hard 
conditions  against  the  Church,  dating  from  the  culture-strug- 
gle of  years  gone  by. 

If  In  1871,  Emperor  William  I  had  invested  Bismarck  with 
the  hereditary  dignity  of  Prince,  and  William  II  conferred 


238  Blood   and   Iron 

on  Bismarck,  at  the  time  of  dismissal  (1890),  the  title  Duke 

of  Lauenburg,  together  with  a  larger  share  of  the  Duchy  of 

Lauenburg,  an  estate  on  which  the  Emperor  expended  $1,000,- 

000. 

If  The  old  man's  income  was  now  said  to  be  in  excess  of  $100,- 

000  a  year;  in  addition  he  received  unnumbered  gifts  of  a 

princely  nature,  as  well  as  priceless  tokens  of  sentimental 

esteem,  from  patriotic  Germans  the  world  around. 

]f  It  was  a  relief  to  Bismarck,  in  his  old  age,  to  know  that 

his  family  would  be  rich  and  famous.     He  had  been  deeply 

engrossed  in  politics  for  years,  and  all  his  ambitions  had  been 

exhausted  on  his  beloved  Germany;  he  not  only  had  no  time 

to  make  money,  but  was  heavily  in  debt;  his  interest  account, 

for  loans,  was  said  to  have  been,  for  many  years,  $30,000  per 

annum. 

How  he  managed  to  keep  his  head  above  water  (with  all  the 

distractions  of  statesmanship,  to  say  nothing  of  the  burdens 

of  three  great  wars,  and  the  embarrassments  of  his  private 

finances)   shows  the  man's  iron  constitution  as  well  as  his 

sagacity  in  practical  affairs. 

If  In  all,  Bismarck  received  forty-eight  orders  of  distinction, 

at  the  hands  of  monarchs;  also  a  long  list  of  university  de- 

grees, medals   and   golden  keys  bestowing  the  freedom  of 

German  cities. 


TfThe   immediate   cause   of   Bismarck's   dismissal   had   to   do 

with  an  old  "Order  in  Council,"  1852,  to  the  effect  that  the 

Prime  Minister,  as  head  of  the  Prussian  Cabinet,  had  auto- 

cratic powers. 

This  order  the  Kaiser  now  abruptly  countermanded.    The  de- 

cision was  made  following  an  interview  between  Bismarck 

and  Dr.  Windhorst,  at  Bismarck's  house. 

William  II  did  not  much  like  this  political  jockeying  on  the 

part  of  Bismarck;   Windhorst  was  an  enemy  of  the  estab- 

lished order;  therefore,  that  the  Prussian  Chancellor  should 

hold  a  secret  caucus  with  a  politician  objectionable  to  the 

Emperor  created  a  crisis. 

The  Kaiser,  who  lived  in  a  wire-hung  whispering  gallery, 


Once    a    Man    and    Twice   a    Child  239 

knew  at  once  that  Bismarck  and  Windhorst  had  been  in  con- 
ference; and  early  on  the  day  following,  William  abruptly 
appeared  at  Bismarck's  and  asked  to  see  the  Chancellor. 
Bismarck  came  down  in  morning  gown  and  slippers,  for  he 
had  been  summoned  from  his  bed! 

1{  "What  is  the  meaning  of  this  Windhorst  interview?"  in- 
quired the  Kaiser  sharply. 

Bismarck  replied  with  spirit.  The  breach  widened.  Bismarck 
took  the  ground  that  it  was  none  of  the  Kaiser's  business 
who  called  at  the  Bismarck  house. 

flThe  Kaiser  then  insisted  that  in  the  future  he  should  be 
notified  in  advance  of  prospective  political  interviews,  that,  if 
he  so  desired,  he  might  send  a  personal  representative,  to 
report  the  drift  of  the  talk. 

This  made  Bismarck  furious;  the  old  man  rebelled,  flatly! 
If  It  was  a  sharp,  short,  painful  scene;  by  no  means  a  cere- 
monious discussion  of  constitutional  prerogatives,  or  the  am- 
icable rearrangement  of  methods  of  transacting  state  busi- 
ness.   Instead,  it  was  the  parting  of  the  ways,  the  breaking 
of  old  ties; — and  after  all  these  long  years! 
U  "Then  I  understand,  Your  Majesty,  that  I  am  in  your  way?" 
fl"Yes!" 
H  "Enough!" 

fl  "Haste!"  rejoined  the  Kaiser;  and  thus,  in  few  words,  the 
celebrated  interview  came  to  an  end. 

U  In  parting  with  the  Chancellor,  the  Kaiser  made  Bismarck 
Prince  of  Lauenberg  and  gave  him  a  very  valuable  country 
estate,  and  added  also  the  rank  of  Field  Marshal.  The  princes 
of  Germany  joined  in  good  wishes  for  the  old  man's  peace 
and  happiness,  for  his  declining  days. 
U  Peace  and  happiness — what  a  satire! 


64 

And  Bismarck  was  intensely  human!    "Who  made 
United  Germany?"  is  his  question. 

fl  The  women  of  his  household  did  not  take  the  news  quietly. 
II  The  imperial  messenger  arrived  with  the  Kaiger's  portrait, 


240  Blood   and   Iron 

as  a  farewell  souvenir  to  Prince  Bismarck.  His  wife  ex- 
claimed: "Take  it  to  Friedrichsruh  and  let  it  be  placed  in 
the  stable!" 

HUH 

fl  At  the  depot,  a  great  crowd  came  to  see  the  old  man  depart 
for  the  country,  but  the  Kaiser  was  not  there. 
Bismarck's  hoary  age,  his  great  dignity,  his  known  services 
to  Germany,  were  now  dear  to  the  heart  of  Germans;  thou- 
sands gathered,  in  spontaneous  farewell,  crowding  around  the 
old  man  and  kissing  his  hand. 
If  Now  let  us  face  the  facts. 

To  a  man  of  Bismarck's  iron  mold,  the  exercise  of  power 
is  the  breath  of  life;  this  made  it  a  tragedy  for  the  aged 
Bismarck  to  withdraw. 

It  was  but  natural  for  him,  as  time  passed  and  his  ambition 
grew,  that  he  should  believe  himself  the  sole  founder  of  the 
German  Empire.  His  constant  utterances  after  his  downfall 
bear  out  this  idea.  The  composite  victory  of  scores  of  minds 
merged  in  his  imagination  and  now  crystallized  in  his  own 
soul  victory.  Such  is  human  nature,  and  so  we  say  "Welling- 
ton won  the  Battle  of  Waterloo,"  but  is  this  strictly  true? 
True  or  false,  such  is  human  habit  of  thought,  and  Bismarck 
was  also  now  shown  to  be  human  enough  to  claim  it  all  for 
himself. 

K    H    81 

f  The  story  of  Wolsey  over  again;  our  old  counsellor  of  state 
thrown  off  in  his  declining  years;  and  we  can  almost  hear 
Bismarck  in  his  great  bitterness  repeat  the  tragic  words: 

Had  I  but  servM  my  God  with  half  the  zeal 
I  servM  my  King,  he  would  not  in  my  age 
Have  left  me  naked  to  mine  enemies! 

U  Bismarck's  further  official  presence  was  irksome  to  the  new 
master.  With  the  iron  decision  characteristic  of  Hohenzol- 
lern,  William  II  ended  the  situation,  with  a  stroke  of  hii 
imperial  will.  In  this  attitude  William  not  only  acted  wisely, 
but  showed  himself  every  inch  a  Kaiser. 


Once   a   Man    and    Twice   a   Child  241 

fl  Besides,  Bismarck  was  plotting  in  a  very  human  way  to 
support  and  advance  the  rising  fortunes  of  the  Bismarck 
family.  Would  you  not  have  done  as  much,  or  even  more  ? 
In  his  princely  office,  Bismarck  thought  to  found  a  diplomatic 
dynasty  of  his  own,  wherein  the  servant  becomes  the  master; 
he  made  his  son,  young  Count  Herbert,  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  a  rise  in  life  prodigiously  fast  for  one  who  used  to 
fill  the  function  of  holding  his  father's  dispatch  bag  in  the 
Parliament,  when  the  old  man  made  speeches,  supported  by 
incessant  drinking  of  brandy. 

Bismarck,  himself,  was  Chancellor,  Minister-President,  For- 
eign Minister;  his  cousin,  Minister  of  the  Interior;  and  there 
were  many  other  Bismarcks  in  state  service,  trained  to  know 
the  old  man's  policy.  Constructive  governmental  work  was 
all  in  Bismarck's  power; — and  he  meant  to  keep  it  there. 
H  These  many  acts  of  family  favoritism,  arousing  the  indig- 
nation of  the  new  Emperor,  played  an  important  part  in 
determining  the  old  man's  dismissal.  The  King  was  offended 
by  Bismarck's  many  acts  of  nepotism,  "the  greatest,"  he  se- 
cretly declared,  "which  politics  have  ever  recorded." 

H   H   m 

U  A  high  official  said  to  Bismarck  after  Koeniggraetz :  "You 
should  be  well  satisfied; — it  made  you  a  Prince!" 
If  "It  made  me  a  Prince,"  mused  Bismarck,  with  a  sudden 
and  unaccountable  show  of  irony.  Then,  pointing  to  the  map 
of  United  Germany,  he  replied  with  deep-rooted  conviction 
that  revealed  how  the  fires  of  ambition  were  consuming  his 
very  soul:  "A  Prince,  did  you  say?  Yes,  there  is  my  princi- 
pality!" 

II  From  that  hour,  the  suspicious  and  irrascible  side  of  Bis- 
marck's mind  continued  to  expand.  Some  of  us  quarrel  with 
our  family,  our  partners,  or  our  political  party,  asking  who 
was  responsible  for  the  disaster,  but  the  most  deadly  dis- 
putes are  those  called  forth  by  ambition  to  decide  not  who 
was  responsible  for  the  loss,  but  who  made  the  success. 
t[  Small  cause;  great  effect. 
H  And  Bismarck  was  intensely  human! 


242  Blood   and   Iron 

65 

The  elements  of  his  greatness  number  three  —  Here 
read  two,  but  the  third  and  greatest  is  jet  to  come. 

U  Now  you  ought  to  begin  to  understand  the  man  in  his 
naked  reality;  his  elements  of  greatness  compounded  with 
crying  frailties  —  but  his  very  faults  endear  him  to  us  the 
more,  because  they  show  him  brother  to  the  weak. 
fl  Threefold  a  great  man,  great  in  ambition  and  courage; 
greater  in  compelling  victory  through  years  of  patient  and 
moody  planning;  but  greatest  of  all  in  his  downfall,  when 
turning  his  back  upon  the  blaze  of  glory,  he  retires  to  the 
country  to  view  the  mighty  forests,  and  to  take  long  walks 
with  his  dogs  over  the  fields,  communing  with  himself,  the 
winds  of  heaven,  and  the  immortal  stars. 
1  His  time  is  now  very  ghort;  the  sands  have  all  but  run  out 
of  the  glass.  For  the  first  time  in  many,  many  years,  he 
now  belongs  to  himself  once  more  —  on  the  very  edge  of  the 
tomb  —  before  the  sun  is  to  go  out  forever  —  and  the  long 
night  settles  down. 

JDoes  he  still  believe  in  his  old  ikon?  In  the  secret  cham- 
ber of  his  heart  does  he  still  believe  that  God  was  behind 
it  all,  on  the  side  of  the  needle-guns  of  Sadowa? 
^  The  justifications  of  earth  oft-times  betray  themselves  in 
•trange  superstitions,  and  there  always  was  a  large  strain 
of  superstition  compounded  in  the  great  mind  of  this  great 
man;  not  unlike  the  superstitions  of  a  brother  conqueror,  Ju- 
lius Caesar,  who  was  wont  to  crawl  on  his  belly  to  the  Tem- 
ple, there  to  return  thanks  to  the  immortal  gods  for  success 
in  battle. 

U  To  his  dying  day,  Otto  von  Bismarck  held  fast  that  he  was 
the  instrument  of  God,  and  that  God  did  it  all,  through  him. 
Flesh  and  blood  needs  some  explanation  for  its  ways  —  and 
it  may  be  that  one  interpretation  is  on  the  whole  as  good  as 
another.  With  Bismarck  the  ikon  was  God. 


his  part,  as  a  human  being,  for  many  years  Bismarck 
nursed  his  seemingly  impossible  dream  of  expelling  Austria 


Once   a   Man   and    Twice   a   Child  243 

from  the  German  states  and  binding  up  thirty-nine  princi- 
palities in  one  grand  Empire.  This  ambition  he  pursued 
incessantly,  and  ultimately  succeeded  in  reaching  by  his 
genius  in  manipulating  the  human  nature  side  of  the  men 
around  him.  He  worked  for  himself,  for  his  King  and  for 
his  ideal  of  a  United  Germany.  He  gave  to  the  seemingly 
hopeless  cause  all  his  time,  strength,  nay,  his  very  soul. 
11  His  was  also  now  the  secret  discontent  of  a  man  who 
thought  himself  the  sole  founder  of  the  German  Empire.  It 
was  so  understood  by  Kaiser  William.  For  the  time  being, 
then,  the  patient  Kaiser,  averse  to  wounding  the  pride  of  a 
true  German  servant  of  the  Empire,  permitted  the  overleap- 
ing ambition  of  his  great  Minister  of  State  to  have  sway; 
but  William  knew  that,  soon  or  late,  the  break  must  come; 
and  in  his  own  mind  had  already  decided  on  the  man  who 
was  to  take  Bismarck's  place. 

If  Little  by  little  threats  came;  men  in  high  office  secretly 
inveighed  against  Bismarck's  new  ambitions;  it  did  not  escape 
th'e  attention  of  the  Emperor's  intriguers,  who  now  worked 
against  the  old  man's  family  aspirations;  then  came  more 
resolute  attitudes  on  Bismarck's  part,  egged  on  by  his  wife 
and  by  his  son,  who  each  had  grown  prodigiously  ambitious. 

•  •    • 
If  Enter  General  Caprivi! 

•  •    • 

IT  Before  the  will  of  the  Kaiser,  Bismarck  must  bow;  and  now 
behold  how  the  mighty  has  fallen!  We  must  henceforth  seek 
him  not  in  the  splendid  halls  of  state,  but  among  simple  rural 
scenes  in  Schoenhausen,  where  he  was  born,  where  he  lived 
as  a  child;  and  to  these  quiet  shades  under  the  oaks  and 
elms  he  now  returns  at  the  last  remove  of  life;  a  broken, 
world-weary  man,  full  of  honors  it  is  true,  but  by  the  irony 
of  fate  come  back  to  die  stripped  of  worldly  grandeur,  and 
to  ponder  the  vanity  of  all  earthly  ambitions. 


244  Blood   and   Iron 

66 

Bismarck  inveighs  against  the  ingratitude  of  kings 
— A  fighter  to  the  end. 

flDid  he  take  kindly  to  his  enforced  retirement?  Far  from 
it.  With  all  the  querulous  impatience  of  an  octogenarian, 
full  of  whims,  sick  in  soul  and  body,  suspicious,  irritable,  dy- 
ing inch  by  inch,  a  prey  to  insomnia,  his  neuralgic  pains,  his 
swollen  veins,  in  short,  a  crabbed  old  man,  awaiting  the  call 
— behold  now  our  great  Otto  von  Bismarck,  and  mark  well 
to  what  narrow  limits  his  power  has  shrunk. 
fl  On  one  ocasion  he  moodily  replied  to  a  question:  "Who  are 
the  Hohenzollerns ?  My  family  is  as  good  as  theirs!"  And 
the  old  man  meant  it,  every  word  of  it. 

1]  He  began  bombarding  the  newspapers  with  bitter  reviews, 
criticising  the  Government,  the  affairs  of  the  day.  The  Afri- 
can treaty  he  dissected,  to  Caprivi's  disadvantage.  "I  never 
would  have  signed  it!"  wrote  Bismarck,  and  the  press  took  up 
the  cry.  Any  utterance  from  the  old  political  sage  was  wel- 
comed, the  more  caustic  the  criticism  the  better  it  read,  all 
to  the  disadvantage  of  the  Emperor  and  the  new  advisers. 
If  Many  newspaper  reporters  called  at  Bismarck's  country 
retreat;  the  old  man  would  tell  them  strong  truths  against 
the  Government.  Here  and  there,  a  newspaper  came  out  as 
Bismarck's  official  spokesman! 

If  It  did  seem  as  though  nothing  Caprivi  did  ever  pleased  the 
old  man. 

The  curious  fact  was  this:  that  Bismarck  in  his  own  time 
had  always  held  as  an  inviolable  principle,  "No  criticism  of 
the  Government  in  foreign  affairs,"  but  now  he  claimed  a 
privilege  he  had  never  granted  to  another. 
If  One  of  his  many  startling  confessions  of  state  secrets  was 
that  the  Franco-Prussian  war  never  would  have  taken  place 
but  for  the  garbled  Ems  dispatch.  Instead  of  being  a  "holy 
war,"  to  support  the  very  life  of  the  Fatherland,  it  was  now 
made  clear  that  the  old  Divine-right  idea  had  been  but  the 
stage-play  of  a  political  minister,  for  his  imperial  sovereign's 
march  to  glory. 
If  The  last  illusion  waa  now  dispelled. 


Once   a   Man   and    Twice   a   Child  245 

Caprivi  was  obliged  to  issue  a  circular-letter  to  Germany's 
diplomatic  corps,  everywhere,  "Do  not  mind  Bismarck's  utter- 
ances; take  no  stock  in  them!" 

If  Even  when  Bismarck's  old  friend,  von  Moltke,  died,  the  Man 
of  Iron  refused  to  go  to  the  funeral;  he  did  not  care  to  take 
a  chance  of  meeting  the  Emperor,  there! 
If  Querulous,  iron-willed — such  he  is  to  remain.  No  giving  up, 
no  softening,  no  forgiveness;  but  blood  and  iron  to  the  end. 
We  must  present  him  thus,  our  sad-hearted,  irritable  old  mas- 
ter, proclaiming  against  the  vanity  of  earthly  glories,  and 
like  Wolsey  wondering  on  the  frailties  and  ingratitude  of 
kings,  whose  memories  are  indeed  no  longer  than  the  going 
down  of  the  sun. 
fl  Thus  for  two  long  weary  years  the  bitter  fight  went  on. 

m  H  H 

If  The  old  man  now  went  on  a  trip  to  Vienna,  to  see  his  son 
Herbert  married,  but  ahead  of  him  the  Government  had 
telegraphed,  "No  official  welcome  for  Bismarck!" 
The  German  ambassador,  under  instructions  from  Berlin,  did 
not  dare  attend  the  wedding,  refused  to  notice  Bismarck's 
presence  in  Vienna,  officially. 

If  This  was  the  last  straw;  it  worked  revulsion  of  popular 
feeling;  the  common  people  of  Germany,  the  self -same  people 
that  Bismarck  had  so  long  doubted,  now  took  up  arms  for 
fair  play  for  the  old  man;  and  Caprivi,  made  the  scapegoat, 
was  forced  to  resign.  He  was  succeeded  by  Hohenlohe,  Bis- 
marck's friend,  and  leader  in  the  Bavarian  National  party. 
If  On  Bismarck's  eightieth  birthday,  the  Emperor  came  in 
person,  and  with  military  honors  presented  the  old  man  with 
a  magnificent  sword;  but  on  Bismarck's  part  the  reconcilia- 
tion was  not  sincere,  you  may  well  imagine  that. 


246  Blood    and   Iron 

67 

Wherein,  at  last,  abandoned  by  his  King,  the  plain 
people,  whom  the  great  Bismarck  so  long  politically 
ignored,  now  do  indeed  bind  up  the  old  man's 
wounds. 

U  Bismarck's  mighty  nature  never  softened,  but  remained 
bitter  to  the  day  of  his  death,  with  fire  and  sword  pursuing 
his  enemies;  broken  by  Fate,  his  power  gone,  Bismarck  still 
continued  consistent  to  the  last;  true  to  his  iron  nature,  he 
returned  the  hatred  of  enemies  with  his  own  arrogant  con- 
tempt. 

fl  As  the  years  of  his  downfall  passed  and  men  came  to  com- 
prehend somewhat  his  extraordinary  combination  of  over- 
shadowing political  genius  in  administrative  and  executive 
life,  side  by  side  with  his  strange  superstitions  and  his  many 
weaknesses  of  a  grand  order,  this  awe-inspiring  man  became 
beloved  for  his  frailties  by  the  very  common  people  whom 
all  his  life  long  he  had  held  under  suspicion.  The  people  ral- 
lied to  his  defense  when  kings  quitted  his  side;  they  took 
up  his  cause  because  the  old  man  had  been  outraged  in  his 
sensibilities,  rather  than  because  he  was  right;  they  sent 
him  thousands  of  sympathetic  letters,  telegrams,  presents; 
thousands  of  students,  business  men,  women  and  children, 
visited  him  in  his  retirement;  and  by  that  touch  of  human 
nature  that  proves  the  world  kin,  took  the  embittered  old  man 
to  their  hearts  in  the  name  of  the  United  Germany  that  he 
had  created  with  toil  so  infinite  and  battlings  so  long  and 
blood-stained; — and  they  disarmed  Bismarck  by  honoring  the 
name  of  their  old  enemy. 

IF  It  is  a  wonderful  story  of  human  nature,  this  story  of  how 
the  German  people  rallied  to  Bismarck's  side;  a  story  that 
reaffirms  how  slender  after  all  is  the  space  between  the 
pomp  of  kings  and  the  obscure  destiny  of  the  shepherd  on 
the  hills. 

The  proud  figure  of  the  grand  old  man  who  was  not  too  high 
to  fall  from  power  stands  side  by  side  with  Marius  at  the 
ruins  of  Carthage. 
TI  Finally,  as  between  the  kings  whom  Bismarck  served  so 


Once   a   Man   and    Twice   a   Child  247 

faithfully  and  who  abandoned  him  at  last,  and  the  people 
whom  he  despised  but  who  rallied  to  his  side  and  bound  up 
his  wounds,  this  courageous  giant,  who  during  the  long  years 
in  which  he  fronted  the  seemingly  forlorn  struggle  for  United 
Germany,  had  been  so  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  his 
unpleasant  duties,  came  at  last  to  his  peculiar  eminence  as 
one  of  the  world's  greatest  characters. 

1J  When  he  came  to  die,  full  of  years  and  honors,  although 
he  had  no  National  funeral  like  the  magnificent  outpouring 
that  marked  the  return  of  Napoleon's  body  to  the  banks  of 
the  River  Seine,  yet  in  the  hearts  of  the  German  people  Otto 
von  Bismarck  was  accorded  the  grandest  funeral  of  modern 
times,  if  not  of  all  time. 

That  was  many  years  ago;  but  his  unapproachable  memory 
still  lives,  as  Father  of  United  Germany — and  his  fame  goes 
marching  on. 

•   9   • 

68 

The  old  man's  strange  fancies  as  he  passes  the  time 
awaiting  his  final  call. 

fl  Behold  our  old  master  in  retirement,  as  obscure  as  a  simple 
country  squire;  and  he  reads  again — what  do  you  think? 
The  Book  of  Job,  Bismarck's  last  reading,  reminds  him  of  the 
evanescence  of  all  earthly  glory,  which  passes  away  like  the 
grass  that  is  cut  down  by  the  mower. 

Tf  Brave  old  fighter,  with  your  show  of  dauntless  spirit,  down 
to  the  very  end,  we  know  that  you  are  grown  weary  of  it  all, 
and  in  truth,  in  silent  moments  of  self-communion,  you  do 
not  care  when  the  end  may  come,  nor  may  it  come  too  soon 
for  you. 

THe  is  worried  all  the  time,  now;  worried  about  his  sons 
health;  worried  about  the  death  of  his  brother;  broken  over 
the  death  of  his  wife;  distressed  by  the  death  of  favorite 
dogs  and  horses.  Also,  he  recalls  a  gypsy  saying  having  to 
do  with  the  end  of  the  Bismarck  family,  under  strange  con- 
ditions, in  these  mystical  words: 

Dem  Grafen  von  Bismarck  soil  es  verleiber 

So  Lang  sie  vom  Horste  die  Reifier  nicht  trieben— 


248  Blood    and    Iron 

Or,  "The  Counts  Bismarck  shall  reign  at  Varzin  as  long  as 
the  herons  are  not  driven  from  their  ancient  haunts";  in 
rude  rhyme: 

"The  Bismarcks  shall  hold  their  domain  till  the  day 
When  they  from  their  haunts  drive  the  herons  away." 

11  You  see,  the  old  man's  mind  was  wandering,  and  now  and 

then  he  saw  the  future,  as  in  a  strange  dream. 

U  He  watched  the  crows  and  jackdaws  gather  over  the  fields 

and  at  the  rookeries,  and  he  said  one  day,  "They  have  their 

joys  and  sorrows  like  human  beings." 

fi  He  recited  Shakespeare,  thinking  of  the  olden  times  when 

he  went  roaring  up  and  down  the  land!     "Let  me  play  the 

lion,  too!     I  will  roar  that  it  will  do  any  man's  heart  good 

to  hear  me.    I  will  that  I  can  make  the  Duke  say,  'Let  him 

roar  again,  let  him  roar  again!'  " 

•   •    • 

11  Trifles  annoyed  the  aged  Bismarck,  as  might  be  expected; 
such  things  as  changing  the  clocks  to  introduce  "standard 
time,"  as  it  is  called.  "I  do  not  like  this  'standard  time'; 
here  I  get  up  half  an  hour  too  early  and  go  to  bed  half  an 
hour  too  soon,"  was  the  octogenarian's  crabbed  comment. 
H  Day  by  day,  crowds  came  to  see  him — children,  students, 
laborers,  artists,  musicians,  politicians,  writers — all  visited 
the  sage  in  his  retirement. 

Levi,  the  Wagnerian  Kappelmeister,  journeyed  from  Munich 
to  Friedrichsruh  to  beg  the  honor  of  owning,  as  a  souvenir, 
one  of  Bismarck's  old  hats. 

fi  Lenbach,  the  renowned  artist,  came  to  paint  Bismarck's 
picture;  and  noted  the  curious  fact  that  although  Mecklen- 
bergers  have  the  largest  German  skulls,  "Bismarck's  i« 
larger  still." 

fl  Bad  nights,  neuralgia,  insomnia  became  his  companions; 
but  still  ambition,  the  one  supreme  infirmity  of  his  majestic 
mind,  gives  him  no  peace. 

What  would  future  generations  say  of  Bismarck's  work? 
And  of  the  immediate  present,  has  Caprivi  helped  it  any? 
Was  the  repeal  of  my  Iron  Laws  against  Socialism  wise? 


Once   a   Man   and    Twice   a   Child  249 

Why  did  not  Caprivi  follow  my  plan  of  making  the  Govern- 
ment the  arbiter  of  German  conscience?  Why  did  not 
Caprivi  carry  the  Army  Bill  ?  I  fought  for  four  years,  once, 
to  get  army  money  for  King  William — and  won  over  all 
obstacles! 

U  Schaffer  came  to  make  the  Bismarck  bust;  it  shows  the 
Chancellor  with  high-cut  nostrils,  heavy  jaws,  scowling 
brows. 

The  old  man  likes  it,  because  it  presents  him  as  a  soldier; 
he  is  proud  that  he  is  a  Field  Marshal,  prouder  still  of  the 
Bismarcks  in  the  old  wars,  proud  also  that  he  is  a  Prussian 
General  of  Cavalry. 

flThen  he  scolds  again  about  Caprivi's  treaty  with  Austria, 
says  it  will  cost  fifty  million  marks  a  year  and  nothing 
gained. 

11  Often  in  deep  fits  of  melancholy,  Bismarck  thinks  that  Ger- 
many is  ungrateful.  For  one  thing,  the  Government  ought 
to  recognize  my  son  Herbert;  why,  England  saw  in  Pitt  the 
son  of  his  father,  a  chip  of  the  old  block;  and  why  not  one 
Bismarck  after  another,  eh? 

If  Maybe  Dr.  Schweninger  could  do  me  some  good,  what  do 

you  think?     This  doctor  is  from   South  Germany— and  a 

very  determined  fellow  with  a  jet  black,  piratical  beard;  he 

gives  orders  like  a  military  man,  is  a  believer  in  diet,  and 

all  that  sort  of  thing. 

Twenty  years  before,  when  Bismarck's  weight  was  247,  this 

South   German   Dr.   Schweninger  put   Bismarck  through   a 

course  of  "banting,"  and  the  Chancellor  rewarded  the  doctor 

with  a  chair  in  Berlin,  against  the  united  protests  of  the 

faculty!     Why,  yes,  bring  up  Dr.  Schweninger;  he  can  mak. 

me  well,  I  am  sure. 

If  "I  can  make  you  live  to  be  ninety,  Prince! 

If  "Then  get  to  work;  spare  no  time;  I  am  in  bad  shape. 

If  Letters,  telegrams,  felicitations  in  the  form  of  magnifi- 
cently embossed  diplomas,  continue  to  come,  day  after  c 
Bismarck  is  given  the  freedom  of  cities;  he  is  enrol  ed  among 
engineers,   carpenters,  brewers,   ship-masters,  tailors;   each 


250  Blood   and   Iron 

guild  demands  that  the  Iron  Chancellor's  name  head  the  list 
of  honorary  officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge. 
In  one  year  the  record  shows  650,000  letters  and  10,000  tele- 
grams; and  among  these  are  begging  letters  asking  a  total 
of  $2,500,000! 

11  Bismarck  often  grows  tired  of  seeing  visitors;  he  has 
built  himself  a  secret  spiral  staircase,  hidden  in  an  unex- 
pected place;  and  uses  it  against  unwelcome  callers. 
Now  and  then,  when  his  health  permits,  he  is  at  his  editorial 
work  again,  laboriously  issuing  his  proclamations  to  the  Ger- 
man people;  he  writes  with  a  quill  pen,  and  for  a  blotter  pre- 
fers the  old-time  box  of  blue  sand. 

For  scribbling  hasty  notes,  he  prefers  huge  lead  pencils,  such 
as  he  favored  in  parliamentary  days;  pencils  15  inches  long, 
similar  to  those  used  by  German  carpenters. 
He  sits  at  an  immense  oak  table,  and  his  chair  seems  un- 
comfortable; it  has  no  back. 

At  his  side  is  his  porcelain  tobacco  jar,  two  feet  tall,  and 
on  the  stand  are  innumerable  pipes,  which  in  turn  are  filled 
and  smoked,  all  day  long.  He  holds  a  sort  of  tobacco  parlia- 
ment every  day.  Visitors  must  smoke  a  pipe  or  cigars,  drink 
wine,  meet  the  dogs,  and  hear  the  old  man  inveigh  against 
these  degenerate  times. 

11  Those  big  Umar  dogs  are  always  around  him.  At  meal 
times,  no  matter  how  fashionable  the  company,  Bismarck 
pauses  at  the  end  of  the  dinner  to  throw  "Sultana"  or  "Cy- 
rus" a  biscuit! 

Sometimes  he  wears  his  Cuirassier's  uniform,  this  broad- 
shouldered  giant  with  the  thick  neck  and  the  grizzled  mus- 
tache; his  eyes  glower  under  his  thick  white  brows,  and  in 
the  depths  of  his  faded  blue  eyes  is  the  old  look  of  deter- 
mination. 

The  old  man's  face  is  ashen  grey,  but  he  still  has  the  stamp 
of  immense  dignity,  a  colossal  personality,  unquestionably 
representing  the  first  public  man  of  his  time. 
Folks  bow  to  him,  and  he  is  master  to  the  end;  men  are  his 
servants,  not  his  companions. 

H He  is  always  very  deliberate;  he  has  a  peculiar  way  of 
stopping  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence  to  seek  out  in  a  mo- 
ment of  silence  the  exact  word  he  needs. 


Once   a   Man   and    Twice   a   Child  251 

1[  In  the  morning,  he  usually  takes  a  stroll  with  his  big  dogs. 

It  was  a  shock  when  "Old  William"  died,  and  the  Emperor 

then  gave  Bismarck  "Cyrus";  the  Prince  also  had  "Rebecca" 

and  '"Sultana." 

The  Ulmar  dogs,  following  the  old  giant,  resemble  tigers  in 

their  powerful  slouching  gait. 

At  night  they  sleep  in  his  bedroom. 


69 

Bismarck  refuses  to  pass  under  the  yoke — the  octo- 
genarian's last  struggle  of  ambition. 

1[  He  has  his  superstitions  to  the  end;  about  the  number  13, 
about  the  number  7;  and  he  believes  that  the  moon  has  power 
to  make  human  hair  grow.  "It  is  best,"  he  says,  "not  to  make 
scoff  of  such  matters." 

If  Sometimes  he  goes  over  his  orders  of  honor,  forty-eight  in 
all,  and  of  great  distinction;  also,  his  learned  degrees.  Uni- 
versity of  Halle  made  him  Doctor  of  Philosophy;  Edelangen, 
Doctor  of  Law;  Tuebingen,  Doctor  of  Political  Science;  Gies- 
sen,  Doctor  of  Theology,  and  Jena,  Six-fold  Doctor,  that  is 
to  say  Doctor  of  Medicine;  and  Goettingen,  Doctor  of  Law. 

HUH 

11  They  bring  him  a  joint  of  wild  boar,  shot  in  Varzin  forest, 
and  he  has  a  feast.  His  fondness  for  game  he  never  gives  up. 
Also,  to  the  last  he  has  his  champagne.  After  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war  Bismarck  refused  to  drink  German  champagne, 
and  told  the  Emperor,  quite  plainly,  "Your  Majesty,  my  pa- 
triotism stops  with  my  stomach;  I  simply  must  stick  to 
French  champagnes." 

U  He  tells  how  he  used  to  drink  Affenthaler  and  Merkgraefler, 
years  before  at  Frankfort;  these  were  first-rate,  at  one  florin 
a  bottle,  or  wholesale,  the  old  man  explains;  by  the  100  liters, 
only  14  kreutzers  (8  cents)  a  bottle. 

U  "Red  wine  is  for  children,  champagne  for  ladies,  and 
schnapps  for  generals,"  is  one  of  his  drinking  mottoes,  but  he 
tells  that  he  himself  prefers  his  old-line  invention,  the  Bis- 
marck champagne  and  porter,  a  most  powerful  decoction, 


252  Blood   and   Iron 

putting  ordinary  mortals  under  the  table  very  early  in  the 

evening — but  not  the  Iron  Chancellor,  not  at  all! 

fl  He  recalls  amusing  stories  of  his  ancestors.    "One  ancestor 

put  pigs'  ears  in  pea  soup  and  made  a  gastronomic  hit." 

11  Bismarck's  eyes  water  one  day  and  he  explains,  "The  wine 

my  ancestors  drank  to  excess  comes  back  in  punishment  for 

their  sins."  ®    ®    ® 

H  What  do  you  think  ?  Bismarck's  old  enemy,  Herr  von 
Sybel,  the  eminent  author  of  the  ponderous  "History  of  Prus- 
sia," called  today,  and  Bismarck  was  glad  to  see  Sybel,  and 
they  chatted  a  long  time.  As  he  and  Sybel  talked  of  history, 
Bismarck  had  moments  when  he  held  himself  the  one  authen- 
tic builder  of  the  German  Empire. 

71  Gradually,  he  came  to  think  that  he  alone  of  his  own  un- 
aided might  did  the  work. 

If  Last  scene  of  all  in  this  great  drama  of  Bismarck!  The 
octogenarian,  in  his  downfall,  is  bitterly  storming  against 
his  enemies. 

Consistent  to  the  end,  he  never  weakened.  He  did  not  pass 
under  the  yoke  of  defeat  by  revealing  any  of  those  soft  vir- 
tues that  writers  who  make  a  wax  doll  of  this  mighty  man 
would  have  us  believe. 

He  raged  and  stormed  impotently  in  his  retirement  at  Fried- 
richsruh,  and  by  every  loud  and  insulting  means  in  his  power 
— by  voice,  pen,  by  special  interviews,  in  his  private  letters, 
in  his  telegraphic  dispatches,  in  his  talks  with  the  old 
friends  or  new  callers,  and  to  the  last  scratch  of  his  Memoirs 
— Bismarck  remains  unrepentant,  turbulent,  to  the  end  fight- 
ing bitterly  against  the  Fate  to  which  he  could  not  and  would 
not  submit. 

Temperamentally  and  psychologically,  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  act  in  any  way  other  than  that  in  which  he  did  act — 
even  as  you,  in  your  own  life,  are  true  to  yourself  in  storm 
and  sunshine,  following  some  unformulated  but  idiomatic 
law  of  your  being. 

Bismarck  believed  himself  a  chosen  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  God  and  tenaciously  clung  to  the  dominant  idea  that  the 
Bismarck  work  comprised  all  the  raw  materials  of  German 
history,  affecting  the  German  Empire. 


Once    a   Man    and    Twice   a    Child  253 

70 

His  face  is  ashen,  his  grizzled  mustache,  eyebrows 
and  hair  white  as  the  driven  snow. 

11  On  the  whole,  the  old  man  is  interested  in  events  not  in 
persons;  he  does  not  keep  track  of  individuals;  but  he  studies 
their  work  and  its  effects. 

So,  in  his  retirement  he  talks  of  big  events,  mostly;  all  the 
while  suffers  from  fits  of  depression  and  exhibits  a  growing 
moroseness,  a  peculiar  characteristic  of  highly  developed 
German  character. 

He  calls  for  Kant,  Hegel,  Christ;  and  reads  them,  deeply. 
He  likes  Hegel's  idea  that  the  history  of  the  world  shows 
"rational  order,"  conceals  a  "manifest  destiny." 
If  But  the  old  man's  one  consolation  is  the  Book  of  Job. 
He  lays  awake  o'  nights,  unable  to  sleep,  he  says,  "and  it 
seems  as  though  there  were  a  mountain  on  my  chest." 
If  He  does  not  think  much  of  Gladstone's  "Home  Rule"  ideas; 
this  "let  the  people"  rule  is  bad  business,  is  the  old  man's 
comment. 

If  He  is  invited  out  a  great  deal,  but  always  makes  the  same 
excuse,  "I  do  not  sleep  well  anywhere  except  in  my  own  four- 
post  bed.  My  traveling  days  are  over,  thank  you." 
Tf  One  day  in  the  park,  the  ladies  kissed  his  hand,  but  he  re- 
plied by  kissing  their  cheeks,  and  he  made  a  little  speech  as 
though  he  were  in  parliament. 

If  He  studies  the  thick  walls  of  Schoenhausen  mansion  and 
examines  the  old  French  cannon  of  '71  scattered  around  the 
yard,  as  souvenirs. 

If  He  superintends  the  planting  of  trees;  and  rules  over  his 
estate  with  all  the  old  family  dignity  and  unshaken  firmness 
of  soul.  He  asks  his  secretary  to  count  the  telegrams  that 
came  this  past  year  and  in  round  numbers  there  are  10,000. 
The  old  man  takes  a  notion  to  send  each  inquirer  after  his 
health  a  Bismarck  autograph.  So  each  day,  from  April  to 
August,  he  spends  part  of  his  time  writing  over  and  over 
in  great  scrawling  letters,  at  the  bottom  of  a  printed  card 
of  thanks,  the  huge  signature,  "Bismarck." 


254  Blood    and   Iron 

fi  Little  things  are  beginning  to  bother  the  old  man.    He 
conies  in  today  from  a  short  walk  and  says  he  hates  crows, 
because  they  are  the  enemy  of  the  singing  birds. 
If  Neuralgia  is  tormenting  him,  day  and  night,  and  he  is  very 
irritable. 

School  children  come  with  teachers  and  after  the  children 
sing  the  old  man  bows  and  says,  "Children,  I  thank  you." 
11  And  this  Dr.  Schweninger,  who  promised  Bismarck  ninety 
years  of  life,  is  always  hovering  about,  like  a  military  doctor, 
giving  express  orders  to  eat  this,  to  get  up  at  such  an  hour, 
to  go  to  bed  at  such  an  hour,  and  to  take  a  nap  at  such  an 
hour. 

The  old  man  obeys  like  a  child. 

If  Strangers  wait  at  the  village  bridge  to  see  Bismarck  and 
his  dogs  pass  by;  week  after  week  delegations  of  working- 
men,  lawyers,  students,  come  to  the  house. 
Schweninger  orders  him  to  take  longer  naps,  not  worry  about 
politics  and  not  to  meet  strangers.  The  old  saying,  "Once  a 
man  and  twice  a  child"  is  coming  to  pass;  Otto  von  Bismarck 
is  no  longer  the  stubborn,  dogmatic  fellow  that  he  was,  even 
a  few  years  ago.  But  he  still  scolds,  fights  and  has  his  way 
with  all — except  the  doctor. 

B    B    I 

fi  Tomorrow,  April  1,  1898,  Bismarck  will  be  83;  however,  he 
does  not  seem  to  be  failing  much;  but  his  face  is  ashen,  his 
grizzled  mustache,  eyebrows  and  hair  are  as  white  as  the 
driven  snow. 

If  Gardeners  write  to  him  that  they  have  named  their  choicest 
new  variety  of  rose,  the  Bismarck;  and  cigarmakers  have  the 
Bismarck  shape,  cutlers  the  Bismarck  dinner  knife,  a  thick, 
sharp  blade  that  will  carve  a  duck's  neck  in  a  twinkling. 
If  However,  the  old  man  is  growing  weary  of  it  all;  and  he 
hears  with  no  great  show  of  interest  that  the  people  are 
planning  monuments  everywhere.  There  is  going  to  be  an 
equestrian,  helmeted  statue  in  the  market  place  at  Leipzig; 
at  Weringrode,  a  heroic-sized  Bismarck  will  lean  upon  a 
sword;  there  will  be  a  column  in  Hartzburg,  Victory  with  a 
lyre  and  another  Victory  with  a  wreath;  there  is  to  be  a 
statue  at  Kissingen;  a  helmeted-heroic  figure  at  Freiberg;  a 


Once   a   Man    and    Twice    a    Child  255 

column  at  Charlotte-springs;  a  column  at  Meiszen;  at 
Cologne,  a  heroic  figure  with  a  sword;  a  heroic  "Tyras  and 
Bismarck,"  dog  and  man,  at  Leipzig;  allegorical  figures, 
"Glory  and  War,"  for  Berlin;  at  Wiesbaden,  a  statue  sym- 
bolizing the  Bismarck  National  victory;  a  bust  at  Heidel- 
berg; at  Kreuznach;  a  heroic  figure  with  helmet  and  sword, 
with  "Glory"  at  his  feet;  at  Zwickau,  an  allegorical  memorial 
of  noble  proportions;  a  tower  in  the  Black  Forest;  and  still 
another  at  Altona. 

If  No;  it  is  no  use!  As  we  said  before,  the  old  man  is  grow- 
ing very  weary  of  it  all;  and  now  along  comes  Arthur  Men- 
dell,  who  paints  for  posterity  that  remarkable  Bismarck  in 
which  you  see  only  the  blazing  eyes  and  the  shining  silver 
helmet — the  Bismarck  of  the  brave  days  of  '66  and  '70, 
when  the  German  hosts  carrying  their  deadly  needle-guns, 
marched  over  the  Rhine — at  Bismarck's  word! 
fl  Dear  Old  Bismarck,  these  wreaths  of  immortelles  come  to 
you  in  your  retirement,  but  you  have  reached  the  time  when 
the  grasshopper  has  become  a  burden,  and  when  you  have  but 
one  wish  left  in  this  world — and  that  wish  is  to  go  in  peace 
to  your  long  sleep. 

fl  Coming,  Bismarck — coming  very  soon  now,  Old  Soldier; 
and  we  know  well  how  courageously  you  will  answer  up, 
when  the  invisible  Skeleton  in  Armor  calls  your  imperial 
name! 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

3|ail  atti  3far*in*U 

71 

Prince  Otto  V.  Bismarck  receives  his  final  and  his 
one  glorious  decoration;  and  here  we  leave  him,  his 
fame  secure  among  Germany's  immortals. 

game  is  now  all  but  played  out.    The  last  phase  is 
to  be  the  noblest  expression. 

In  his  prime,  Bismarck  was  of  massive  proportions  in  mind 
and  body;  but  of  his  moral  nature  both  friends  and  enemies 


256  Blood    and    Iron 

had  often  been  in  doubt  for  many  years.  Now,  even  that  was 
revealed  to  be  in  concord  with  his  herculean  bulk. 
fi  The  old  glory  passed  from  him,  like  a  dream.  He  com- 
mitted his  soul  to  his  God;  and  he  heard  again  voices  of 
Nature  that  had  been  inaudible  to  him,  during  his  many 
years  of  intriguing  diplomacy. 

These  voices  spoke  to  him  of  the  vanity  and  emptiness  of 
human  life,  of  the  worthless  baubles  for  which  men  exchange 
all  they  have,  that  is  to  say,  their  immortal  gift  of  time, 
which  soon  passes  away  and  is  no  more. 
The  musings  of  the  Prince  on  the  follies,  inconsistencies  and 
ambitions  of  life  conspire  to  create  a  heroic  figure  like  King 
Solomon.    All  is  vanity!     The  conqueror  of  a  continent  has 
so  declared.    He  had  held  the  world  in  his  hand,  and  had 
found  that  the  sphere  is  hollow. 
So  go  the  fates  of  men. 

U  The  great  Prince  Bismarck  has  now  become  as  a  beggar  at 
the  city's  gates. 


1l  Over  his  grand  spectacle  of  human  pomp  and  power,  con- 
trasted with  his  final  self-abnegation,  shining  forth  we  see 
the  heights  and  depths  of  human  life;  but  in  this  case  the 
end  was  greater  than  the  beginning;  the  defeat  than  the 
victory;  the  downfall  than  the  glory;  and  the  disillusion  than 
the  dream. 

11  Prince  Bismarck  in  his  long  career  as  friend  and  confidant 
of  the  kings  of  this  earth,  had  been  honored  with  forty-eight 
orders  of  distinction.  It  is  needless  to  mention  them  all,  but 
they  included  the  Iron  Cross  and  the  Order  of  Merit,  the  one 
entitling  him  to  sit  with  kings,  the  other  to  command  an 
army  corps. 

fl  But  the  greatest  decoration  of  all  was  the  one  he  now  wore, 
his  high  tide  of  glory  gone. 

It  is  the  Decoration  of  the  Order  of  the  Disillusioned,  be- 
stowed upon  himself  by  his  own  soul. 

Soon  or  late,  prince  or  pauper,  and  you  and  I,  wear  this  Order 
as  at  last  we  sit  and  wonder  at  the  years  gone  by. 
<[Let  us  silently  pass  on,  leaving  Bismarck  here,  in  the  one 


Once   a   Man    and    Twice    a    Child  257 

solemn  moment  of  his  life;  when  he  attains  to  real  grandeur, 
stamps  himself  as  greater  than  when  he  sat  before  kingg. 
For  now  he  possesses  his  own  soul,  in  peace. 
And  in  this  last  picture,  the  end  is  greater  than  the  begin- 
ning;  the   defeat  than  the  victory;   the  downfall  than  the 
glory;  and  the  disillusion  than  the  dream. 
fi  His  final  consolation  was  the  Book  of  Job;  and  he  read 
therein  these  strange  and  solemn  words: 
fl  What  is  my  strength,  that  I  should  hope  ?  and  what  is  mine 
end,  that  I  should  prolong  my  life  ? 

Is  my  strength  the  strength  of  stones,  or  is  my  flesh  of  brass  ? 
1J  So  am  I  made  to  possess  months  of  vanity,  and  wearisome 
nights  are  appointed  to  me. 

When  I  lie  down,  I  say,  when  shall  I  arise,  and  the  night  be 
gone  ?  and  I  am  full  of  tossings  to  and  fro,  unto  the  dawning 
of  the  day. 

My  days  are  swifter  than  a  weaver's  shuttle,  and  are  spent 
without  hope. 

H  Yea,  man  is  born  unto  trouble,  as  the  sparks  fly  upward. 
I  would  seek  unto  God  and  unto  God  would  I  commit  my 
cause ; 

Which  doeth  great  things  and  unsearchable;  marvelous  things 
without  number; 

Who  giveth  rain  upon  the  earth,  and  sendeth  waters  upon 
the  fields; 

To  set  up  on  high  those  that  be  low;  that  those  which  mourn 
may  be  exalted  to  safety. 

He  disappointeth  the  devices  of  the  crafty,  so  that  their 
hands  cannot  perform  their  enterprise. 

If  Behold  happy  is  the  man  whom  God  correcteth ;  therefore 
despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the  Almighty; 
For  he  maketh  sore  and  bindeth  up;  he  woundeth  and  his 
hands  make  whole. 

He  shall  deliver  thee  in  six  troubles;  yea,  in  seven  there  shall 
be  no  evil  touch  thee. 

In  famine,  he  shall  redeem  thee  from  death;  and  in  war  from 
the  power  of  the  sword  .  .  .  neither  shalt  thou  be  afraid 
of  destruction  when  it  cometh. 


258  Blood   and    Iron 

72 
"As  One  Asleep" 

If  On  July  30,  1898,  just  before  midnight,  Otto  Edward  Leo- 
pold von  Bismarck,  Prince  of  Lauenberg  and  former  Imperial 
Chancellor  of  the  German  Empire,  died  peacefully  in  the  old 
homestead  of  his  ancestors. 

The  immediate  cause  of  death  was  congestion  of  the  lungs. 
If  "Ich  danke,  Dir,  mein  Kind,"  were  his  last  words,  addressed 
to  his  daughter,  who  had  stooped  to  wipe  the  moisture  from 
his  pale  brow. 

If  As  late  as  the  day  he  died,  he  had  read  the  newspapers  and 
talked  politics. 

His  final  remarks  were  on  the  relations  of  Germany  and 
Russia,  at  all  times  a  subject  of  deep  concern  to  him. 
1f  Dr.  Schweninger  had  promised  to  bring  him  to  90 — and  was 
seven  years  short. 

But  the  Bismarck  of  retirement  was  not  unhappy  in  the  tak- 
ing off;  he  had  grown  tired  of  it  all;  and  it  is  pleasant  to 
record  that  his  last  hours  were  without  pain. 
If  A  few  days  before,  he  had  had  his  champagne,  and  had 
smoked  five  pipes  in  succession;  also  the  day  before  he  died, 
he  had  asked  an  attendant  to  "color"  two  new  meerschaums, 
gifts  of  friends.  Toward  the  last,  he  had  used  an  invalid's 
chair  for  breakfast,  but  otherwise  he  seemed  as  well  as  could 
be  expected. 

•    •    • 

If  The  windows  looking  upon  the  garden  were  opened,  early 

next  morning,  and  the  servants  of  the  household  gathered 

there  to  look  at  the  master,  at  rest. 

He  was  seemingly  asleep  in  his  four-poster  bed,  his  head 

slightly  inclined  to  the  left;  his  expression  was  that  of  one 

gently  dreaming;  his  arms  were  resting  over  the  coverlet, 

and  in  his  left  hand  he  held  one  white  and  three  red  roses,  a 

last  love-token  from  an  Austrian  lady. 

H  The  expression  of  his  features  was,  at  the  end,  proud  and 

noble;  but  the  face  was  as  grey  as  ashes;  for  the  fire  of  life 

was  out  at  last! 

a       rf      s 


Once   a   Man    and    Twice    a    Child  259 

If  Later,  came  two  Cuirassiers,  in  white,  with  drawn  swords; 
and  these  massive  figures  stood  there  by  the  bedside,  and  by 
and  by  kept  solemn  guard  beside  the  coffin;  also,  near  by 
were  two  Foresters,  in  green. 

IT  Books,  papers,  telegrams  and  a  laurel  wreath  were  in  the 
death  chamber,  where  the  master  had  worked  to  the  end. 
Not  far  away  was  his  favorite  chess-board,  also,  within  touch 
the  Emperor's  last  present,  a  fac-simile  of  Frederick  the 
Great's  great  crook-headed  gold  cane;  a  step  the  other  way 
the  globe  of  the  earth  that  Bismarck  used  to  roll  over  with 
his  big  hand,  when  he  studied  his  endless  foreign  political 
combinations. 

If  Later,  came  the  magnificent  funeral  with  the  high  military, 
and  all  the  rest;  but  we  think  we  shall  take  leave  of  him  in 
his  old  room  with  these  simple  objects  around  him,  his  tools 
of  work,  his  big  oak  desk,  his  mounds  of  state  papers,  his 
writings,  his  quill  pens,  his  box  of  blue  sand,  his  pipes,  steins 
and  champagne  glasses,  his  letters,  his  telegrams,  his  great 
heaps  of  books,  his  immense  correspondence  on  the  affairs  of 
nations,  his  diplomas  from  universities,  his  degrees  of  law, 
philosophy  and  letters,  and  finally,  his  big  Ulmar  dogs. 
If  Here  we  leave  him  as  one  asleep,  reminded  of  his  final 
words,  uttered  when  the  master  was  breaking  fast  with  the 
infirmities  of  his  eighty-three  years : 

fl  "There  is  only  one  happy  day  left  for  me.  It  is  the  one 
on  which  I  shall  not  wake  again." 

HUH 

If  His  son  refused  the  request  that  a  death-mask  be  made  of 
the  noble  old  face,  but  Lenbach's  famous  painting  will  recall 
the  stern  head  for  years  to  come. 

If  Bismarck's  coffin  was  of  polished  dark  oak,  with  eight  silver 
handles  in  the  shape  of  lion's  paws;  candles  burned  around 
his  coffin,  the  pale  lights  softened  by  veils  of  black  and  silver 
gauze  that  ornamented  the  silver  candelabra.  The  floor  was 
literally  covered  with  wreaths,  many  bearing  cards  of  sym- 
pathy in  gold  letters,  from  various  eminent  personages 
throughout  the  world. 
1f  The  Kaiser  heard  the  funeral  services. 


2<5o  Blood    and    Iron 

If  Bismarck's  mausoleum  rests  on  a  spot  Bismarck  selected 
for  himself;  a  plain  Romanesque  House  of  Death  against  a 
background  of  trees;  and  to  the  right  still  may  be  seen  hia 
favorite  bench  where  he  used  to  sit,  under  the  shade  of 
spreading  oaks. 

The  sarcophagus  of  yellow  marble  bears  this  inscription,  »e- 
lected  by  Bismarck  himself: 

Here  Lies 

PRINCE  BISMARCK 

A  Faithful  German  Servant 

of  Emperor  William  I. 

f  Hostile  critics  of  Germany,  brought  forth  by  the  great  war 
of  1914,  profess  to  believe  that  this  inscription  on  Bismarck's 
tomb  shows  that  Bismarck  did  not  wish  his  work  to  be  asio- 
ciated  with  the  future  of  the  Empire,  but  with  its  past. 
Instead,  it  really  proclaims  the  man's  great  mind,  his  clair- 
voyant historical  vision.  He  could  have  said  many  things 
about  himself,  touching  the  great  part  he  played  in  sustaining 
the  pomp  and  majesty  of  kings;  but  his  simple  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  role  of  faithful  servant,  is  more  eloquent  than 
sermons  in  brass. 

fl  Finally,  a  small  altar  to  the  right  of  the  porch  carrie*  this 
text  from  Colossians  iii:23,  the  motto  given  to  Bismarck 
many,  many  years  before  by  Rev.  Schliermacher,  the  pastor 
who  confirmed  the  boy  Otto;  and  that  motto  became  indeed 
Bismarck's  guiding  star  through  life,  as  now  well  you  do 
know,  balancing  his  record  with  the  solemn  Biblical  injunction 
you  read  here  beside  the  master's  tomb: 

fl  "And  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily,  as  to  the  Lord,  and 
not  unto  men." 


THE    END 


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